Maud Kells: Fearless in the Forest (Trail Blazers)

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Photo: (1) Maud Kells taken taken in 2015 when she returned from the DRC (Credit Norman Bell) (2) with her Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year Award the same year (Credit Belfast Telegraph) WEC’s former international training director, Phillip Crooks, said the organisation “was privileged to have had Maud as one of its members”. In an age that is increasingly obsessed with personal agendas and material gain, we do well to stop for a moment and ask the question as to why someone would live a life that is so counter-cultural. Mourners attend the funeral of Maud Kells (Claudia Savage/PA) In Maud’s case the answer isn’t complicated, she fell in love with Jesus and never left that commitment throughout her entire lifetime here on earth.”

Ms Kells, who was from Cookstown, trained as a nurse in Belfast before starting her life-long work in DRC against the wishes of her family. Her calling saw her train nurses across DRC, provide maternity care and help build a hospital and nursery. She later became a missionary with WEC International.They added: "As Maud always said, "To Him be the Glory". We're upholding her family and church in prayer." Maud’s call was for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but we would do her a great injustice if we were to limit it to that,” he said. I’ve read a lot of Missionary biographies and one thing that has been strikingly similar is their use of ‘Daily Light’ - a devotional for each morning and evening. Maud also used this - her copy was tatty from much use!

She always reasoned it to me by saying, ‘well in Africa we have to walk everywhere so if where I’m going is close enough, I’ll walk it’.” Sometimes reading helped to take my mind off my own situation as I followed the adventures of others. I was particularly impressed by two books I read at Nyankunde. Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose is the story of a young American couple who served in Indonesia as missionaries with New Tribes Mission during the Second World War. They were imprisoned by the Japanese in separate prisoner-of-war camps. When I read what that young wife suffered, and compared it to my own situation of love and care, I thought: "What I'm suffering is mild in comparison. I have little to complain about." It helped me to put everything in perspective and the happy ending cheered me greatly. For nearly 50 years she worked tirelessly and relatively unknown, outside of WEC and her congregation, until 2015. It was in the January of that year she came to national prominenceafter being shot one night by bandits in the village of Mulita, in the north east of the country. At the time she was 75. While my time as a missionary doctor in a hospital outside Nairobi was relatively short, it was an experience that I will never forget. In paying tribute to Maud today, and her selfless and tireless gospel-inspired work, having followed so faithfully the call from God over so many years, I also want to commend all those who are called by God to His service overseas, especially our own Global Mission Workers in PCI.

WEC missionary Maud was presented with her OBE on 21 May

In 1964, whilst training as a midwife in Glasgow, God placed a call on Maud to work in the Congo. The verse from Revelation 3:8 was a call to trust in God’s leading – at the time, political unrest in the region left the door to the Congo. However, as Maud’s testimony reveals time and again throughout her book, “nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). Maud set sail for DRC in October 1968, where she began working in Wamba, Neobongo and finally, in 1989, Mulita, where she stayed for the remainder of her time in DRC. Our resourceful hospital secretary lifted my camera from a nearby cupboard and began taking photographs of all that was happening, building up a photographic record of the night. Among them are pictures of the chief and police interviewing me in my semi-conscious state at 3am. Any movement I made set off waves of pain, but medication to treat the pain made me nauseated and sleepy. Trying to work out why I was feeling so ill and weak, I asked the doctor to cut down the medication. I began to feel better and decided I would rather have pain than the dreadful nausea... He added: "I would like to offer my condolences to her family and friends, both here in Ireland and the DRC, where she served God so faithfully and for so long. She was certainly part of a great generation of Christian women who demonstrated their love for Christ as they helped and supported others in need overseas."

Maud certainly impacted the lives of many people here but the real legacy of Maud's lies in the heart of Africa - it lies in eastern Congo. She had a deep spiritual impact on people's lives.. but there's no doubt she saved the lives of many people in her medical work. Maud fits that phrase like a glove – a lifetime spent following Jesus, a life of dedication in the service of the King of Kings,” he said. The Cookstown and Mulita woman was the daughter of the late William Andrew and Madge Kells, dearly loved sister of Margaret, Dorothy and the late Irene, sister-in-law of Colin, Harold and Tom and a cherished aunt and great-aunt.

Why? Mission

Ms Kells’ work was carried out through WEC International, an interdenominational mission agency of evangelical tradition. These last few weeks that she spent in Macmillan Cancer Unit in Antrim Area Hospital, she was very well looked after and has been able to spend quality time with family and friends... and chat with people and share their company." Ms Kells received an OBE for her work, which included overseeing the building of a maternity hospital, an operating theatre and a school. Maud Kells was a missionary nurse (Adrian Robinson/PA) The funeral of an “incredible and loving” nurse who devoted her life to aid work in Africa, and survived being shot at the age of 75, has taken place. As the mists cleared, I became conscious of hands cleaning me up, of faces hovering above me. I realised John, whom I had trained to take over from me in maternity, was erecting an intravenous drip to replace fluids. "You're alright, Mademoiselle. We've stopped the bleeding and dressed the wound. You're on the couch in your house and I'm just putting up this drip for you."

Maud’s incredible story, told fully in her book An Open Door: A True Story of Courage in Congo, was written in collaboration with her close friend, Jean Gibson. When asked what she hopes her readers will take away from her testimony, Maud writes, “I trust they will praise and glorify our wonderful Lord Jesus, and that they will be challenged to serve Him too.” It doesn’t really get better than that! Maud Kells, from Cookstown, Co Tyrone, was a missionary midwife in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for decades, travelling there nearly every year since 1968. It was a narrow escape but she had an even closer brush with death just 10 weeks ago when she was confronted by two bandits at her home in Mulita in the north east of the vast country. She had been lured from her home by a bogus call to the maternity unit, which she had helped build and where she trained local nurses and midwives. Adapting to working in turbulent situations, Maud worked in South Sudan between 1998 and 2002 as it was too dangerous for mission work in DRC. Reflecting on this chapter of her work, Maud writes, “I maintain that one can adapt to any situation if they have the right mind-set.” Certainly, Maud’s testimony stands as an incredible reminder of finding new faith and dynamic spiritual growth during turbulent and unpredictable experiences. Upon each return to DRC, Maud explains that words from scripture encouraged her to persevere and trust in God’s leading – a practice that sustained her spiritually throughout her life. It took only seven minutes for all of us to get on board the planes and take off to safety. It was only later that we were told that American spy satellites had spotted rebel forces approaching the airstrip apparently intent on taking us prisoner and using us as hostages. They had told the pilots to get us out."At midday everyone was relieved when plane engines were heard overhead. The MAF pilot was Jon Cadd, a good friend. He came with other good friends of mine, German missionaries Dr Matthias and Sabine Holmer, who were based at Nebobongo. As soon as they heard what had happened, they volunteered to come down and help with the evacuation. Jon was delayed first by bad weather at Nyankunde and then needed to fly to Nebobongo to collect Matthias and Sabine, so eventually reached Mulita 12 hours after the shooting. By then I was almost unaware of what was happening, though I had a vague sense of people coming into the house. I stayed with her once and had the privilege of joining her for her morning devotions - her closeness to and joy in the Lord were remarkable.