Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilot and mechanic, Benjamin Uskert, took a group of young people from a local orphanage in Indonesia to the beach on Nov. 7. While they were there, Uskert spied two other youngsters swim too far out and be swept away by a strong current. In an attempt to save them, Uskert was overcome by the waves and current. The missionary was pronounced dead at the scene, along with one of the teenagers he attempted to recover.
"We are profoundly saddened by the loss of our friend and fellow worker in Christ, as well as the young man he was attempting to rescue," said John Boyd, president and chief executive officer of MAF, in a statement.
"Please pray for Ben's wife, Katie, and son, Jeremiah, as well as the other members of the family."
The American missionary graduated Uskert from Purdue University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Technology. He studied further at Trinity Bible College and Moody Bible Institute. Uskert then worked as an aircraft technician and trainer before joining MAF and being sent to Indonesia where he attended language school for nine months before beginning his service in Sumatra.
In 2005, Uskert married Katie Tucker, and their son, Jeremiah, was born in 2007.
MAF was founded in 1945 as a Christian ministry organization that transports missionaries, medical personnel and supplies, performs disaster relief work, and conducts emergency medical evacuations in remote areas. The ministry also provides distance learning services, as well as telecommunications services such as satellite Internet access, high-frequency radios, electronic mail and other wireless systems.
(Image from MAF and shows Benjamin Uskert and his wife Katie Tucker with their son, Jeremiah).