Ryan, a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), was detained in Mozambique in November 2022 while preparing to fly supplies for local orphanages. He was released months later, and in 2024, a Mozambican court officially dismissed the case against him.

(Photo courtesy of Annabel Koher)

Now, the Kohers have returned to the city of Nampula in northern Mozambique, resuming their Gospel ministry with MAF.

“Back in October of last year, we got news that the case was closed, and that was really exciting for us,” Ryan recalls. “At that time, Annabelle was pregnant…. It was several months after the case was closed that we were finally able to return here. So we got back to the field in mid-April.”

Ryan has stepped into a larger leadership role this time — serving not only as a pilot and mechanic, but also as the Director of Operations.

“It’s a lot more responsibility and a lot more challenge,” he says. “But I find it really enjoyable to be serving this way.”

MAF’s team in Mozambique supports the MozMed Project, a partnership that flies doctors into the Niassa Special Reserve. Medical teams visit remote villages, providing vital care in the name of Jesus.

Ryan also flies for other ministries and church partners — helping short-term mission teams and denominational leaders reach distant congregations. Meanwhile, MAF’s Mozambican staff continues to share Christ through Jesus film showings.

“We’ve had [at least] 30 requests from local pastors and communities too for us to come out and show the Jesus film,” Ryan says. “It’s really cool to see the desire for Jesus here.”

MAF pilot Ryan Koher reaches a flying milestone. (Credit: Annabel Koher/MAF)

Following Ryan’s detainment, MAF has implemented a few internal policy updates — but the ministry’s mission hasn’t changed.

“We’ve understood that my situation was very unique,” Ryan explains. “We did learn a lot from it, so we have made some changes policy-wise, but nothing very major. I don’t think we’ve changed who we fly or where we fly at all because of this.”

The Kohers ask believers to pray for northern Mozambique, where terrorist activity has intensified and some attacks are being directed at Christians.

Annabel requests, “Be praying for Christians in Mozambique, for protection, [and] for them to stay steadfast in their faith. Also, [pray] for the terrorists, that they would come to know Christ and they would repent of their ways. They’re not too far gone, and we believe that the Gospel is powerful.”

Learn more about MAF’s work in Mozambique.

Header photo of the Koher family, courtesy of MAF — used with permission from the Koher family.

Annabel and Ryan Koher have experienced this firsthand through their work in Mozambique with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). Their stories have taken unexpected turns causing both of them to lean into God’s plan. While Ryan is often the primary missionary out of the home, Annabel shares that her role is missional and requires this same trust and obedience as well.

“I thought I knew what it would look like,” she says. “I think many people think they know what it’s going to look like going to be missionaries, whether you’re the spouse or the primary missionary in the family.  And we really just don’t know what God has in store for us.”

Steady Work to Support the Mission

Koher says that much of her daily work as a missionary in Mozambique looks the same as it would as a wife of a commercial pilot in the United States. She makes their meals, does the laundry, homeschools their children, and keeps the house running smoothly.

This work is crucial in any family, but Koher shares that sometimes it can be hard to connect it directly to the missions work in Mozambique. In those times the stories of God at work through her husband and others helps fuel her role.

“Hearing their stories, I remember my part in the kitchen, washing dishes, changing the dirty diapers, hanging the laundry on the line – those things allow for Ryan to be able to fly the planes,” Koher says. “Which allows for the Bible translator missionaries to be here. Which allows for the Bible to go out and the Gospel to be shared and for people’s hearts to be changed and come to know Christ.”

(Photo courtesy of Annabel Koher)

In addition to supporting her husband’s flights Koher is part of the spiritual enrichment team in Mozambique. She helps prepare for their monthly meetings as well as arranges conferences and retreats for their team and the national staff.

Koher also explains that her first role, and every parent’s primary mission field, is with their own children. “I would also say that any parent, in a way, is a missionary at least to their kids. The kids are not automatically saved and they need discipleship. And I think a lot of moms in particular, their home is their primary mission field, and then it goes out from there.”

Walking in Obedience

However, no matter what she is doing, Koher seeks to stay focused on God. For those considering a foreign mission field or those who feel called to stay where they are at, there is consistency – rely on God.

“I think our story is a great one, because we were committed to doing the work that we thought God had for us and turned out that that also included Ryan going to jail. And a lot of waiting in the US. And lot of interviews that we never thought we would be doing.

“So, we don’t always know what God has in store for us. We don’t know what He has in store for us if we go overseas. We don’t know what He has in store for us if we stay where we are currently at. So, I think the biggest things are not to be afraid of the unknown, because we know who is already there, and that is God. If He’s calling us to it, He will give us the grace and the peace to sustain us through whatever He calls us to. It doesn’t mean it’s not going to be hard, but if we continue to keep our eyes on Christ and on the work that He has done and on who He is, then we will be able to get through anything – even if it’s the dark valleys or celebrating the Gospel proclamation going out.”

To learn more about Mission Aviation Fellowship’s work in Mozambique or how you can get involved visit their website.

“We’re very glad to serve there because it’s untouched. They would never see a doctor there,” says MAF’s Dave LePoidevin. “The more difficult cases we fly back to Nampula, the big city where we’re based.”

(Photo courtesy of Dave LePoidevin/MAF Mozambique)

MozMed flights serve communities in the Niassa National Reserve, a vast, underdeveloped region of Mozambique where healthcare access is nearly nonexistent. MAF pilots fly teams of Christian doctors to these isolated villages, partnering with Bethesda Mission and local conservation groups that help maintain the airstrips.

However, the service had to be suspended for most of the past year. LePoidevin explains, “For quite some years, we’ve had the insurgents there — a branch of ISIS — and so they’ve been moving in from the north and attacking there. That’s been a constant threat, and we were always watching, ‘Is it safe to fly where we want to fly?’”

The danger only escalated when national elections last October brought political unrest.

“People wanting to make a statement or insurgents, they would just love to see a burning airplane,” says LePoidevin. “So we got kind of nervous that we might be a target, so we pulled the airplane out.”

(Photo courtesy of Dave LePoidevin/MAF Mozambique)

Now that conditions have improved, MAF has returned to the skies — carrying both medicine and Christ’s compassion.

LePoidevin says, “We can love the people with medical help. Even small diseases or wounds or difficult pregnancies or something like that, [which] would be relatively small for us, is a big deal for them there.”

The Niassa region is predominantly Muslim and animist, and direct evangelism is difficult. Still, LePoidevin says the love of Christ can be felt in every flight.

“We’re focusing on material needs and medical needs, and we’re glad to be doing that,” he says. “Nearby here, we have had some opportunities to show the Jesus film…. Some went well, some not so well with objection from the local Muslim community. So we’re focusing on loving our neighbors here.”

Pray for continued safety as MAF flies MozMed teams into Mozambique’s conflict-affected north. Ask God to open hearts among Muslim and animist communities to the hope of Christ.

“If anybody would pray for us in our work in this area in the north, to find opportunities to show Jesus in a respectful and kind way, we would appreciate your prayers for that.”

Header photo courtesy of Dave LePoidevin/MAF Mozambique.

The attacks spanned through the last week of September. Militants hit multiple villages in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, leaving burned-out churches and homes in their wake.

Arimba, a coastal town in the northern Mozambique province Cabo Delgado. (Photo courtesy of dimitry/Unsplash)

The Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) later released a gruesome 20-image photoset showing executions, shootings, and arson — a chilling display meant to sow fear.

“These militants would often separate Christians from other villagers and begin persecuting them,” says Floyd Brobbel with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. “So this seems to be the case here, and they’re not shy about reporting what they’ve done. They’re claiming responsibility for these attacks.”

Mozambique’s northern regions have faced an Islamist insurgency for years. Despite military intervention from Rwanda and neighboring countries, the violence continues.

“They can blend in, and they can suddenly rise up and cause problems and attack communities, and then they’re gone again,” Brobbel explains. “So they’re hard to locate. They’re hard to pinpoint.”

Even amid devastation, the Church continues to stand. “There are churches that continue to minister in those hot zones. They need our prayers,” Brobbel says.

“We rely on the verses in Scripture and the promises in Scripture that tell us that the gates of Hell cannot prevail against the Church. So we need to be praying and remembering those [who] are in those regions and continuing to serve as salt and light. Pray that they would get a foothold for the Gospel and that we would see many of those who are militants against the Church would become followers of Christ.”

Brobbel adds, “For ministries, pray that the leaders would have wisdom and understanding in how to reach back into their communities…and finding ways to be able to target these groups with the Gospel.”

Ask God to strengthen believers in Mozambique’s war-torn north — and for their persecutors to become disciples of Jesus.

Learn more about how VOM Canada supports persecuted Christians at vomcanada.com.

Header photo courtesy of VOM USA.

Days blurred together, marked only by the shift changes of prison guards. Then, he received Scripture from World Missionary Press.

“This man had a life-changing encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a booklet he received,” Helen Williams of WMP says.

“It transformed his heart of stone into a heart of flesh and made him alive in Christ.”

After being released from prison two months ago, Emmanuel “shares this message of hope and salvation with the people in his community,” Williams adds.

World Missionary Press sends Scripture booklets and other materials free of charge to Daniel, a local pastor living on the Malawi-Mozambique border. Learn more about WMP’s ministry here.

Filling the gap

Many communities in Malawi and Mozambique still lack access to Scripture in their heart languages. While national languages like Chichewa and Portuguese are common, several local dialects remain underserved. Low literacy, poverty, and limited infrastructure further hinder Bible access.

“We have groups of women who teach each other the Word of God. These books have made our groups grow spiritually. Sometimes we can be confused about where to share words from because we do not have Bibles, but with the arrival of these books, things will be easier.”
(Photo, caption courtesy of WMP)

Along with encouraging prisoners like Emmanuel, Daniel shares the hope of Christ in remote villages. After each visit, he leaves a Scripture booklet in Chichewa.

Villagers often respond with gratitude.

“We’re very happy for this help, and it came at the right time,” one villager told Daniel, while another added, “I thank God for the books I have received. My life will never be the same again, and it was a very difficult life.”

Most people in these remote areas don’t have access to a Bible in their heart language. That’s why believers like Gloria treasure the WMP booklets, which contain only Scripture.

“I thank God because today I received a wonderful gift,” Gloria says. “This booklet will help me and my family a lot. Thank you so much for reaching out with the Word of God.”

Your gift can help WMP keep materials free for local partners by covering printing and shipping costs. Find giving options here on WMP’s website.

Header and story images courtesy of World Missionary Press. 

A string of attacks starting on March 31 and leading into April displaced 15,000 people, according to one report. For some people, it was their third or fourth displacement. 

Paolo*, a partner with MegaVoice, explains that the insurgency started small in 2017 after the discovery of massive natural gas reserves. It has now become a seven-year-old conflict that has killed more than 4,000 people and displaced 800,000.

“Anyone in front of them, they were killing. They were burning house[s],” Paolo says. 

“[It] was not necessarily a religion conflict. [It] was because there’s a financial possibility in the region. But definitely these affect a lot of the [religious] work, especially because many missionaries moved from there because of security issues.” 

But MegaVoice’s local partners have stayed. This is a good thing! Paolo says these people are essential for distributing audio Bibles. 

“They have access to the people. They know the language, they know the necessity, where people [have] needs,” he says. 

A gift people ask for

Paolo says many people in northern Mozambique have had no chance at education. “So the only way to have access for the Word of God is through the audio Bibles.”

Image courtesy of MegaVoice.

One woman received an audio Bible and listened to it while she worked in her croplands. She was playing it loud, and someone overheard.

“What’s that?” the man asked her. “Because this is in our language — I’ve never heard something in our own language!”

She told him, “This is the Bible. This is the Word of God.” The man went to the missionary house where the audio Bible had come from and said he wanted God’s Word, too. 

Layers of challenges and need

Mozambique is also enduring lingering political unrest after its contested 2024 elections. In the midst of these dynamics, the MegaVoice team and its partners hope to see many things happening. 

“We want people groups receiving discipleship, learning about God’s Word, growing [in] God’s Word,” Paolo says, “and they could be missionaries. They can share the gospel with others. That’s the most important for us, because we are looking for not just church-planting, but we want to see [a] reproducing church among these people.”

Paolo invites you to stand with them in this work. 

“[Our partners] see how important the Bible is for them [themselves]. They understand the Bible is important for others, and they are participating. They are praying for access. They are praying for people that are able to go there. They are investing. They are supporting the Bibles. We can make this happen,” he says. 

“It’s not one or two organization[s], [it] is not one or two people. Is an entire body of Christ involved to make this happen.”

Learn more about MegaVoice’s mission here. 

*Name withheld for security

Header photo of children in Mozambique courtesy of Hidlson via Pexels.

“We have had an influx coming into the southern part of Malawi, and at the moment the numbers are staying above 3,000.”

Mozambique’s opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane has staged widespread protests in the wake of Daniel Chapo’s election this week. The violence has caused several deaths as well as economic disruption. Since the protests began, civilian life has halted. 

“People were not able to go to work or school,” Mtali says, “Mostly people would just remain in their homes for weeks on end.”

But in the meantime, Malawi is facing its own series of crises. Since covid, the country has been hit with two years of consecutive cyclones, followed by a dry spell that affected last year’s harvest. Additionally, the unrest of neighboring countries has affected landlocked Malawi’s use of ports. 

“It [presents] a challenge in terms of the transportation system – like transportation of oil and food coming from the ports into Malawi. 

Mtali says many refugees have been housed in primary schools, but that is becoming difficult as the schools reopen after holiday. A food shortage is ongoing too, as local people themselves struggle to find nourishment. 

“I think for the people that are fleeing from Mozambique,” Mtali says, “they find that even though the food might not be enough: just because of the peace that’s here, they find that it’s much better to come to Malawi.”

TWR broadcasts Christian radio programs across Malawi and even as far as some parts of Mozambique. Mtali says the messaging affects both hosts and refugees. 

Courtesy of Tim Donahue via Pixabay.

“As they listen to God’s word on the radio, that is part of the spiritual nourishment and encouragement that they get during this time,” Mtali says. 

Please pray for Malawi as the country hosts its Mozambican neighbors. Pray for a return of economic recovery and food security, and pray that the church of Malawi would continue to be a beacon of hope during this time. 

Looking forward, Mtali says Malawi faces elections in September. People are not impressed with the current government because of the struggling financial situation and high cost of living. She asks for prayers regarding this matter too: that people would have hope during the election period, “and that people would embrace peace even during their political differences.”

Featured photo courtesy of Tim Donahue via Pixabay

According to Darrel Templeton of MegaVoice, the unrest has disrupted every facet of daily life.

“It affects everything from commerce to distribution of food to stores that do have food not opening for fear of problems, banks not working, postal and deliveries not working, and so everything is in in upheaval and chaos because of the shutdowns,” he says.

Photo of an audio Bible, courtesy of MegaVoice.

Misinformation and propaganda played a role too, adding to the pressure Christians face from Islamic extremists. It points to the deeper agenda beneath the chaos.

“Almost all of the missionaries in that region (northern Mozambique) have had to flee to neighboring countries, or at least to the south,” Templeton says. “Many of the believers are hiding their Bibles or destroying [them], because if the Bibles are found in the homes, when they (terrorists) come through, they could be killed just because of having the Bible,” Templeton says.

“It’s definitely more of the same, and people trying to set up an Islamic State in Mozambique.”

Still, it’s an incredibly complicated situation. Riots can be sparked by one thing, but people join them for various underlying reasons — perhaps economic or political reasons. But in Mozambique, spiritual/religious propaganda is fueling another dimension.

“[They are] telling the people that they are Muslims at heart, and they need to return to their Muslim faith. It’s very complicated,” Templeton says.

MegaVoice is working with a partner to supply hundreds of solar-powered audio Bibles in northern Mozambique. The units are smaller than paper Bibles and more easily hidden.

“We have another order for another 800 units that are to go from the south. We were just talking with our partner there,” says Templeton. “They said, ‘Pray for us. Pray for the teams.’”

Pray for these believers putting their lives on the line to bring others God’s Word.

Header photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA.

Johan Grobler works with MegaVoice, a ministry that distributes solar audio Bibles to the Global church. He says especially in the north of Mozambique, terrorists have added to the political unrest with persecution of religious communities, targeting Christians and destroying their homes and businesses.

“And especially this time of the year when Christians celebrate: unfortunately, often these insurgents take an opportunity to cause fear and harm to Christians.” 

Results of an October election are not yet confirmed, but Grobler says there are indications that the current administration is set to lose political control, driving a power grab met with protests in cities and large towns across Mozambique.

Photo courtesy of jorono via Pixabay.

“Unfortunately the police are very active in responding and shooting. Some people have lost their lives. Buildings have been set alight, and business has come to a standstill. Border crossings have been closed,” Grobler says.

In times of peace, MegaVoice is well positioned to reach both Mozambique and its neighbor Sudan. 

“We have a large number of audio Bibles flowing in those directions,” Grobler says.

Due to the unrest and violence, however, MegaVoice is facing logistical challenges in the distribution of audio Bibles. A shipment of several thousand is currently held up. 

“So that’s a prayer point, and if it comes through, it will encourage many people,” Grobler says.

Christians can also pray for the safety of those in ministry. 

“It’s really unsafe during the day when most of the protests happen,” Grobler points out. He also asks for prayer for local Christians: “that they would be steadfast and that the Lord would protect them. For them it’s also difficult, and often they don’t have the means to protect themselves.”

Featured image courtesy of jeanvdmeulen via Pixabay 

By God’s grace, the experience of imprisonment in Mozambique actually deepened Ryan’s passion to serve the Mozambican people.

“Over at least my detainment experience, I grew to love the people of Mozambique more as I spent time with the worst of society in jail and learned to love them and love the people who put me in jail and the prison guards,” says Ryan. “We just also look forward to doing life with our team and our national staff that we came to know in Mozambique, and just ministering to them as well.

“Our drive going back is rooted in our love for Christ and our love of serving Him and bringing people to Him.”

Ryan Koher, Annabel Koher, and their two boys. (Photo courtesy of MAF, used with permission from the Koher family.)

MAF has been serving in Mozambique since 1999 and created Ambassador Aviation in 2014 to meet new requirements for charter services. Today, the ministry’s missionary families and indigenous staff primarily serve hard-to-reach people groups in northern Mozambique, flying healthcare resources and other forms of aid in Jesus’s name.

The Kohers still believe in this mission and want God to use them, despite whatever future challenges may arise.

“God has given us special gifts and abilities and skills, and also opportunity to go and serve in Mozambique,” Ryan says. “We are just going to take that open door and go and serve them there.”

After their daughter is born and they have time to recuperate as a family, Ryan and Annabel plan to move back to Mozambique and continue serving with Ambassador Aviation.

As they prepare to follow God’s calling, Annabel requests, “Prayer for the visa process, that our daughter’s passport would come through quickly and smoothly, that we’d be able to get visas to go to Mozambique smoothly.

Ryan Koher (Photo courtesy of MAF, used with permission from the Koher family.)

“Also [pray for] the transition back into Mozambique because we have been out of the country for over a year now. Our boys are five and almost four, and they’re super excited to go back. That’s home to them, but we also realize that there will be a transition going back. So prayer that that will go smoothly, that our language skills will come back to us, and just that we’ll thrive there and be open to whatever ministries God has for us in Mozambique.”

To learn more about how Mission Aviation Fellowship serves communities in Mozambique, visit MAF’s website.

Header photo taken in September 2022 at Nairuko, Mozambique. Featuring Ryan Koher, Annabel Koher, and their two boys. (Photo courtesy of MAF, used with permission from the Koher family.)