MAF Prayer Briefing | May - June 2024

PRAYER BRIEFING

MAY - JUNE 2024 Find

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1

MILES, Doug & Yvonne. Interim Country Director, PNG.

We returned to Cairns from PNG on the 24th April. Followed quickly by Doug’s Oral surgery (teeth implants) on the 30th April. Pray for a good recovery and pray for us as we hope to return on to PNG on the 20th May.

THURSDAY, MAY 2

HARDING, Bill & Angela. International Development Director & People Care Manager, NZ based. We’d really appreciate prayer for good flights, health, relationships and work success for Bill, who is travelling to Uganda and Kenya to work on legal issues around an airfield that we own and operate from the shores of Lake Victoria. Pray for Angela as she travels to Australia for three weeks – first to attend a member care conference in Victoria and then for face-to-face meetings with colleagues in Cairns. Bill will join her and the legal team in Cairns for a week near the end of May too.

MAY 1-7

FRIDAY, MAY 3

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

Praise God for the Global MAF Marketing, Communications and Fundraising Summit that Mark and Zoe were able to attend in April. Thank God for the unity between the Global team, and for the fruitful strategic discussions that were had. Pray for God’s continued blessing particularly for our Resourcing Groups around the world. Pray that the teams would be able to apply all they have learned at the summit and that we would see more people join the mission of MAF.

SATURDAY, MAY 4

FOX, Mark & Philippa. CEO MAF NZ.

Twenty years ago, while Pastoring the Village Baptist Church in Havelock North, Mark & Philippa were involved in the setting up of a church planting ministry and orphanage in Orissa, India, called ASHA. On May 4-5 they will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Pray for God’s blessings on the ministry and the future development plans.

SUNDAY, MAY 5

POUND, Jonathan & Michele; Abby, Daniel, Joseph, and Benjamin. Pilot, South Sudan.

Praise the Lord for the work He is doing through MAF in South Sudan. Praise Him for the way He has laid this mission on our hearts! Please pray for new friends the same age as our kids to move onto our compound, as some of their friends are preparing to head to boarding school in Kenya.

MONDAY, MAY 6

MAF NEW ZEALAND.

Give thanks to God for the appointment of our new MAF NZ Fundraising Manager, Faith Tudor. Faith will be working remotely before she and her family move to Tauranga in July. Pray for Faith as she becomes interwoven into our team, brings new perspective and ideas, and that God would help her as she begins her new adventure with MAF.

TUESDAY, MAY 7

McINTOSH, Colin & Rosemary. MAFI Maintenance Support Specialist–Turbine Aircraft, NZ based.

Give thanks that the shipment of fuel from New Zealand arrived safely in PNG at the end of last month. Please pray with MAF-PNG for a sustainable solution to the fuel crisis, which has been affecting the whole country since February. www.maf.org.nz

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8

MACRAE, Leigh & Inneke; Cameron, Levi, Mikaela. Residential House Managers, PNG.

Thank you for all your prayers. As we finish up our time as hostel parents, please pray for a good transition for us and our family, as well as for the kids in the hostel. Pray for them as some finish up, some go on home assignment, and some stay on for the next school year. Pray that MAF will find suitable house parents to continue to support the work being done by MAF.

THURSDAY, MAY 9

VAN DER MERWE, Cobus & Tronel; Isaac, Jana, and Karlien. Building & Maintenance Deputy Manager, PNG.

Thank the Lord with us that we have safely arrived in country and that everything is going according to the program. Please with us that the Lord will assist us with our language learning and adjustment.

MAY 8-15

FRIDAY, MAY 10

HUNT, Benji & Jess; Eliott. Maintenance Operations Supervisor, PNG.

Pray for our engineers and maintenance teams. The autumn season has sudden downpours and strong winds which means excellence and attention to detail is crucial for the safety of the aircrafts

SATURDAY, MAY 11

BREWER, Renee. Pilot, PNG. I am excited to be leaving PNG today to get married to my fiancé, Pascal, in a small ceremony with our families in Thailand on the 18th of May. After our honeymoon, we will be spending three months in NZ. Please pray for safe travels for us and our families and for lots of energy for the people who will step in to help do our jobs in PNG while

SUNDAY, MAY 12

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Pray and give thanks for all of our Kiwi Mum’s serving on the field: Marie, Ruth, Jess, Inneke, Michele, Tania, Yvonne, Glenys, Rosemary, and Tronel.

MONDAY, MAY 13

INGHAM, Bridget. Pilot, PNG.

This week (13-17 May) I will be in Telefomin flying with a senior training pilot. By the end of the week he hopes to be able to sign me off for (a) landing at as many airstrips in the area as possible, (b) advanced airstrip check, which will enable me to take increased payloads into the more difficult strips, (c) annual line check. Pray for good weather, good communication, and safe operations so that we can achieve all of these.

TUESDAY, MAY 14

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

Pray and praise God for the Flight and Technical Operations teams, whose work has greatly increased the safety of our pilots and passengers over the last four years since the teams were established.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15

MAF NEW ZEALAND

MAF International CEO, Dave Fyock arrives in New Zealand today to spend time with the MAF NZ team and to speak at our InFlight events. Pray that his time in NZ would be fruitful.

MARCH 16-24

THURSDAY, MAY 16

CAMPBELL, Andrew & Sharon. Maintenance Controller, PNG.

Sharon is going to Balimo Hospital for 2 weeks with April Harper from YWAM. They look forward to building relationships, encouraging and training staff in a hospital with many challenges. May God grow His team there!

FRIDAY, MAY 17

MAF INTERNATIONAL

Pray for the recruitment of experienced pilots that are needed across the organization, especially in PNG and Chad.

SATURDAY, MAY 18

NICHOLLS, Kevin & Angela. Regional Quality Manager, NZ based.

Please pray that God will bring the right people for a number of vacancies in MAF including Quality and Safety Managers.

SUNDAY, MAY 19

PENTECOST

Praise God for Pentecost! Daily, we are presented with evidence of suffering and a broken world, making the needs around us seem insurmountable. Give thanks that God gives his Holy Spirit to strengthen, empower, and encourage us.

MONDAY, MAY 20

MACDONALD, Andrew. Pilot, South Sudan.

Pray for the coming year. We expect this year to be a bit quieter than last year as funding reduces. Pray that we can continue to support the various church and ministry partners who fly with us. The roads to where many of these passengers work often have a no-go restriction for bandits.

TUESDAY, MAY 21

HASTIE, Kerry & Marie; Ethan. Quality and Safety Manager, Mareeba. Pray for MAF as we continue with our Fleet Renewal plan. The challenging and harsh environments take a toll on our aircraft. This means more maintenance time in the hangar rather than in the air. Pray for God’s provision for the upgrades we need for the future.

www.maf.org.nz

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22

MAF NEW ZEALAND

Pray for Jane in her recruitment efforts. Praise God for the people who have already expressed an interest in serving with MAF. Pray that God would continue to orchestrate the right people for the crucial roles that need to be filled around the world.

THURSDAY, MAY 23

VINCENT, Fiona. Finance Manager, Asia-Pacific Region, (NZ based).

Thank you for praying for the MAFI finance teams. We give thanks that the Audits have gone well and are now concluded for 2023. Our new accounting software installation has been completed with most of the bugs/glitches sorted out. Please pray for the finance team as we seek to support the Country Directors and Managers with accurate, timely financial reports.

FRIDAY, MAY 24

MAF INTERNATIONAL

Pray that the relationship between civil aviation authorities in Mozambique and MAF (known locally as Ambassador Aviation) would continue to improve.

SATURDAY, MAY 25

WOODWARD, Vaughan & Rosemary. Executive Officer and Director, Global Disaster Response & HR Advisor, Cairns.

Pray for Ryan’s continued healing for his broken leg. Ryan broke his leg in a sporting accident during April and required surgery to plate the break. Ryan was to be moving during May for a job transfer, please also pray for resolution to his disrupted plans.

SUNDAY, MAY 26

ORCHARD, Karl & Helene; Ayla and Thea. Candidate; IT Manager, PNG.

Praise God for all the Churches that have welcomed us to speak, and for those who have decided to support us. Pray that God would continue to lead us to the right people to partner with us. Pray for energy and good health as we balance all of the things we are juggling at the moment.

MONDAY, MAY 27

WATSON, Jonny & Glenys; Katie, Alana, Danielle, and Lucy. Pilot, PNG. Pray for our neighbouring missions families who live in the remote bush whom MAF serves with flights and supplies. Pray that God will protect and strengthen them as they share the gospel and translate the bible into local ‘tok ples’ languages.

TUESDAY, MAY 28

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

Praise God for the many Christian Organisations MAF partners with around the world. Pray for God’s continued favour and protection over them as they share the hope of Jesus.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29

FRIDAY, MAY 31

MAF NEW ZEALAND.

Pray for Stephen, our Youth Engagaement Director as the new school term begins and he looks to connect with Christian schools and youth groups.

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

INGHAM, Bridget. Pilot, PNG.

About 40% of the MAF PNG pilots will be away this month for leave and/or home assignment, which means those of us who are still here will be busy! Pray for safety and stamina, especially on multi-day tours covering operations at other bases.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2

SPROUL, Phil & Tania. Director of Technical Operations, Cairns. Please pray for Tania as she continues to lead the Wednesday session of the outreach at church for ‘Koala Kids’ especially for the special events around Mother’s Day. Praise God for the successful completion of work in the Mareeba hangar on the Amphibious Caravan that is heading to Papua New Guinea for a new work in the Lake Murray region. POUND, Jonathan & Michele; Abby, Daniel, Joseph, and Benjamin. Pilot, South Sudan.

THURSDAY, MAY 30

HITCHINS, Nick & Ruth; Samuel and Eddie. Pilot & Country Director, Timor-Leste.

Praise God for Nick’s safe return from ferrying planes to Australia. Give thanks for the Arnhem Land engineers who have come to Dili to help keep our planes operational.

www.maf.org.nz

As we move toward the first-ever election in South Sudan, please pray for peace throughout the land and for wisdom and integrity as the teams go about arranging for the election in December, the entire process, and indeed in the counting of the results!

MONDAY, JUNE 3

MACRAE, Leigh & Inneke; Cameron, Levi, Mikaela. Residential House Managers, PNG.

Please pray for God to find suitable house parents to replace us for the hostel so that the different families can be well supported to continue their work while their kids continue to receive a good education.

TUESDAY, JUNE 4

BREWER, Renee. Pilot, PNG.

Pascal and I arrive in New Zealand this month and I am looking forward to introducing him to family, friends and supporters and also showing him the beautiful country where I grew up. Please thank God that we are able to have this time together and to be with friends, family and supporters.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

Give thanks for an MAF Open Day run by MAF Netherlands, who have already had over five thousand people register. Pray for the team as they prepare for this event in July.

THURSDAY, JUNE 6

FOX, Mark & Philippa. CEO MAF NZ.

Pray for God’s sustaining strength during the winter months, for both Philippa and Mark. Please also pray that the development and plans that we have put in place for the next two years will see greater impact through MAF New Zealand.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

Praise God for MAF flights to Atauro Island, TimorLeste which, thanks to our partnership with eco-tourism operator Maddog Adventures - help to promote tourism and preserve historic sites, enabling there to overcome isolation. Pray that our shuttle flights for Maddog personnel will contribute towards the community’s development and provide inhabitants with sustainable income.

SATURDAY, JUNE 8

MACDONALD, Andrew. Pilot, South Sudan.

South Sudan tops the list of the most dangerous countries for aid workers in the world. Please pray for the safety of our staff and partners as we bring help to those in need.

www.maf.org.nz 5

SUNDAY, JUNE 9

HARDING, Bill & Angela. International Development Director & People Care Manager, NZ based. Please pray for the smooth introduction of an amphibious aircraft to the massive swamp known as the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. MAF is hoping to use the plane to land on rivers to support mobile health clinics to reach people who haven’t had access to health care for over a decade.

MONDAY, JUNE 10

MILES, Doug & Yvonne. Interim Country Director, PNG.

Urgent request: Please pray for a new Country Director in PNG. From June & July we are also going to be short 10 pilots due to a number of families leaving and some on leave.

TUESDAY, JUNE 11

MAF INTERNATIONAL. MAF planes often carry bible boxes containing Bibles and solar-powered audio Bibles. Pray for those receiving the gospel for the first time.

JUNE 12-20

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12

McINTOSH, Colin & Rosemary. MAFI Maintenance Support Specialist–Turbine Aircraft, NZ based.

Pray that the introduction of the Cessna Caravan floatplane into PNG goes smoothly and this aircraft will enable MAF-PNG to bring help, hope and healing to more isolated communities previously unable to be reached by MAF.

THURSDAY, JUNE 13

CAMPBELL, Andrew & Sharon. Maintenance Controller, PNG.

MAF Papua New Guinea is facing a significant pilot shortage, and engineers as well. Pray for the pilots and families remaining to thrive and for the ones he is calling to come. Give thanks for Sharon getting her Aviation Medical Certification - she is now able to assist with pilot medicals.

FRIDAY, JUNE 14

HASTIE, Kerry & Marie, Jesse, and Ethan. Quality and Safety Manager, Mareeba.

Pray for our family as we go through a time of transition. Pray for Kerry’s mum’s salvation as she has terminal cancer.

SATURDAY, JUNE 15

NICHOLLS, Kevin & Angela. Regional Quality Manager, NZ based.

Pray that the new training we are planning for late June and July will help new Quality and Safety managers confidently do their jobs and improve our ministry

SUNDAY, JUNE 16

WATSON, Jonny & Glenys; Katie, Alana, Danielle, and Lucy. Pilot, PNG.

Please pray for the pilots in PNG as quite a number are away on leave and home assignments during this period, which places a higher workload on those who remain in country. Glenys will be spending much of this month training one of our newer pilots. Our kids are now on their long ‘summer’ break – pray for them as they rest from the normal routines of school.

MONDAY, JUNE 17

MAF NEW ZEALAND.

Pray for God’s instruction, blessing and favour as we continue to plan and strategize for the future. Pray that God will stir more Kiwi’s to support the work of MAF.

TUESDAY, JUNE 18

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

Praise God for the newly created People Care Team, led by Angela Harding. Pray for her team as they continue to establish a structured wellbeing strategy for our overseas personel. Pray for everyone involved in this ministry and uphold all those likely to benefit.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19

WOODWARD, Vaughan & Rosemary. Executive Officer and Director, Global Disaster Response & HR Advisor, Cairns.

Pray for Vaughan as he travels during June to support some new project initiatives. Rosemary gives praise for the new staff coming into MAF. Please pray for the families preparing to go to Orientation next month.

THURSDAY, JUNE 20

WORLD REFUGEE DAY.

Today is World Refugee Day. Pray for Refugees around the world who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Pray that help would reach them when needed. Pray that MAF would continue to serve in this way.

FRIDAY, JUNE 21

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

There are many remote churches in the mountains of PNG. Please think of them in your prayers today as you ask the Lord to bless the various congregations and deepen their relationship with Him.

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

SPROUL, Phil & Tania. Director of Technical Operations, Cairns.

Please pray that we will be still and listen to the Lord in the midst of so much opportunity that we will rest and trust Him for all things. For wisdom and graciousness as Phil reviews progress and strategy and develops plans for 2025 with his team.

SUNDAY, JUNE 23

MAF INTERNATIONAL.

Pray for all of the trainee Pilots in Mareeba and the Netherlands who are working towards serving with MAF in the future.

MONDAY, JUNE 24

HUNT, Benji & Jess; Eliott. Maintenance Operations Supervisor, PNG.

Pray for Benji as he continues to train new engineering staff. Pray that God would continue to bring more skilled people to serve with MAF.

JUNE 21-30

SATURDAY, JUNE 29

VINCENT, Fiona. Finance Manager, Asia-Pacific Region, (NZ based).

ORCHARD, Karl & Helene; Ayla and Thea. Candidate; IT Manager, PNG.

Pray for God’s favour as we put our house on the market and move into Helene’s parent’s cottage.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26

MAF NEW ZEALAND. Pray for our team of office staff. Pray that God would help us to work well together. Pray that God would give us fresh ideas and strategy. Pray that we would be unified in our vision for what God wants to do through MAF NZ.

THURSDAY, JUNE 27

VAN DER MERWE, Cobus & Tronel; Isaac, Jana, and Karlien. Building & Maintenance Deputy Manager, PNG.

Please pray for protection for our health as we have experienced some tummy bugs in our new environment. Please pray for Cobus in his new role as he prioritises what needs to be accomplished.

FRIDAY, JUNE 28

MAF NEW ZEALAND.

Pray that God would continue to stir more New Zealanders to consider serving with MAF overseas.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25 www.maf.org.nz

Give thanks for the encouraging spiritual growth in Yolngu communities in Northern Australia and their hunger for the word of God. We pray that it will produce lasting good fruit in their lives and families. MAF Arnhem Land is privileged to be able to fly outreach teams to locations and support mission groups.

SUNDAY, JUNE 30

HITCHINS, Nick & Ruth; Samuel and Eddie. Pilot & Country Director, Timor-Leste.

Pray for health during the prolonged monsoon season (big increase in dengue cases). Pray for a rejuvenating ät home” school holiday for Sam and Eddie in preparation for the next term of school. Praise God that Benji is finding his feet so well in the Uni halls in Cairns.