Maud Kells: Fearless in the Forest (Trail Blazers)

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Twelve hours after the shooting Ms Kells was airlifted out of Mulita and spent several weeks being treated at Nyankunde hospital. Blood was pouring from a wound between my shoulders where the bullet appeared to have passed through. Desperate to stem the bleeding, I staggered to the wall of the house, pressing myself against it as firmly as possible. Time seemed to stretch indefinitely as I stood there, fighting to stay conscious and keep the blood flow under control. Call after call elicited no response. Images flitted through my brain: pictures of Jesus left on the cross, crucified and alone. 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 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. Ms Kells’ work was carried out through WEC International, an interdenominational mission agency of evangelical tradition.

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. The country had a fine infrastructure, with roads well maintained by the owners of the coffee, tea, cotton and rubber plantations, who also gave employment to local people and sourced goods from them. There were banks and post offices and other essential services.

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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. During her final visit to the country she was awarded a Medaille du Merite Civique by the governor in Kunda, for services to the DRC.

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.” Maud will be laid to rest in Moneymore following a funeral service at Molesworth Presbyterian Church, Cookstown on Sunday, 29 October at 2.15pm which will also be broadcast online. 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. 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." Kells O.B.E. October 26, 2023 (peacefully) at The Macmillan Unit, Antrim Area Hospital, Maud, late of 73 Moneymore Road, Cookstown and formerly of Mulita, D.R.C., beloved 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.Mr Crooks said that as well as her commitment to international aid, Ms Kells remained active in her local community in Tyrone. In the 1960s Maud received training for her mission work at the WEC Missionary Training College in Glasgow, Scotland