News for Prayer 12 June 2014
Issue 502
Reopened airstrip
‘Africa Inland Mission (AIM) Regional Co-ordinator Brian de Smidt and I got talking,’ recalls MAF Pilot Simon Wunderli, ‘and I learned there was an old airstrip located at the AIM base that Brian was going to visit. The airstrip, Ohilang, in South Sudan, was only three miles from where we were flying. ‘I did a quick aerial survey and took some pictures before I flew Brian to Lohutok, landed and jumped into a 4x4. It took a good 30 minutes to drive 3 miles – and the rainy season hadn’t really started yet! ‘We arrived in Ohilang and examined the airstrip. It was overgrown, although not too densely.’ The AIM missionaries were excited about the prospect of MAF flying there and, within 24 hours, they’d repaired the strip – ready for Simon to land the next day. ‘Now,’ says Simon, ‘MAF can disturb the sleepy village of Ohilang with some turbine engine noise and excite the local children!’ Pray the missionaries can extend the runway by a further 984ft to make it easier to take-off and land, and that the airstrip helps bring hope and healing to another remote region of conflict-ridden South Sudan.
On the ground at Ohilang, our first flight to the reopened airstrip
Still recovering Beauty Sheel lives in Barguna, a disaster-prone area in southern Bangladesh, which is vulnerable to cyclones and climate change. When cyclone Mahasen struck the area in 2013, Beauty took refuge at the nearby storm shelter with her nine-year-old son and one-year-old daughter. ‘My husband was at sea with eight other men in a fishing boat,’ she recalls. ‘A tree fell on him, injuring his shoulder and head.’ When the waters receded, Beauty returned to her home, which had been severely damaged, and she and her husband began the painful task of rebuilding their lives after the storm. GIZ, a German development organisation, is working with communities affected by the cyclone to provide training and support so people can develop skills to earn a living. Beauty is now a member of a basket weaving group run by GIZ. The organisation provides bamboo to make baskets, and helps the women to sell them. Making the baskets takes 2 days, with each basket selling for about 60 taka (45p). Praise God for our regular flights for GIZ personnel, which enable them to visit projects in remote areas like Barguna. ‘We use MAF frequently,’ shares Asma Parzin, Senior Programme Officer for GIZ Bangladesh. ‘They are a good resource for us. People can cover a great distance in a short amount of time. MAF benefits the
development of Bangladesh.’ Today, one year after the cyclone, Beauty and her family are still repairing their home. Beauty’s main source of income comes from selling baskets, and her husband now works as a labourer. Give thanks that GIZ and MAF are helping vulnerable women like Beauty to rebuild their lives and make valuable steps towards sustainable development. Uphold those still recovering from the loss of homes, livelihoods and loved ones caused by cyclone Mahasen.
Cattle thieves or lost sheep? In October last year, staff from Calvary Baptist Church in Texas flew with MAF from Nairobi to Kapoeta, South Sudan, to explore new ministry opportunities among the Toposa people. Minister of Missions and Evangelism Clay Jones, one of our passengers, explains, ‘We have seen God do some amazing things there, with former witch doctors, cattle thieves and murderers being transformed, by the power of the Gospel, into spiritual leaders.’ The Toposa people number more than 750,000 – less than 2% of whom have received or responded to the Gospel. Many have known nothing but civil war. The aim of the trip for Clay and his team was to explore the Mogos area, enabling them to prepare for future ministry trips there. They looked for a
good place to camp with access to clean water, and began mapping the area and building relationships with local people. While on the ground, they were able to share the Gospel, and several people became Christians as a result. Clay says, ‘One man told us that the Toposa kill their enemies and steal their cattle. He said they had never heard the message we were sharing, and didn’t know that the things they were doing were wrong. ‘He said that, now they know, they will stop. He thanked us for coming to share the Word of God with them, and said they were like lost sheep and that if we came back to share more of God’s Word, it wouldn’t be in vain.’ Earlier this year, Clay and a colleague returned to Mogos, flying in and out of Kapoeta with MAF. During their visit they met with the Paramount Chief of the Mogos region. ‘He was very welcoming,’ Clay concludes, ‘and is looking forward to us coming and teaching the Bible to his people.’ Clay’s team are now talking to us about the possibility of flying to Mogos, and have identified an area that they think will make a good airstrip. Pray it will be possible to build a strip and for MAF to land there – enabling the missionaries to enjoy safer travel and additional ministry time as they serve the Toposa and see them transformed by God’s love.
Prayer points • CHAD Pray for the release of much needed aircraft parts currently held by customs. They were shipped to N’Djamena more than a month ago. • MOZAMBIQUE Praise God that a team of MozMed doctors we flew showed the Jesus film to around 1,600 people in the Moma area. Pray that those who saw it will become Christians. • A Dutch doctor is considering joining the MozMed project in Mozambique. Pray for God’s guidance (NfP 494). • PAPUA Pray for a premature baby recently born in Wamena, and give thanks we were able to fly his mother to hospital. • PNG As well as the need for more pilots, pray that experienced aircraft maintenance engineers and management will join our engineering department. • SOUTH SUDAN A cholera outbreak in Juba is intensifying, with many more cases expected. Pray that those treating people will prevent the epidemic
spreading to surrounding counties and villages. • It is estimated that four million people will be on the brink of starvation by the end of 2014 as clashes between opposing forces continue in South Sudan. Pray for an end to the violence that has caused thousands of deaths, and for famine to be averted. • TANZANIA Praise God that Pilot Jarkko Korhonen’s license has now been issued. • WORLDWIDE Give thanks for the life of Murray Kendon, one of the founders of MAF, who passed away peacefully on 27 May, with his wife Minnie by his side. It was Murray’s vision that resulted in the beginnings of MAF in the UK in 1945. • Pray for the many MAF Mission Kids graduating from secondary school. Ask God to guide them as they prepare for university or pursue other paths.
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