News for Prayer 11 December 2014 Issue 515
Saving lives
Travel in Timor-Leste can be hazardous. Recently, 12 people were travelling in the back of an open truck which was also carrying a load of concrete blocks. When the vehicle rolled backwards down a hill and tipped over, a number of passengers were badly hurt. Fortunately, an MAF aircraft was able to fly four stretchered patients from remote Suai to Dili Hospital before it was dark, a journey which took just 30 minutes. Pilot Jonathan Lowe finally landed back at our hangar in Dili with minutes of daylight left. One of the patients, Martinha Cardosa, whose foot had to be amputated, said, ‘If MAF hadn’t come, I don’t know what would have happened. Maybe I would have died.’ Another patient, Terezinha da Costa, lost one of her legs. Two other villagers, who weren’t injured as badly, were taken to hospital by road – an arduous and bumpy eight-hour journey. The husbands of both women endured 13 hours by bus to join their wives, leaving their children in the care of relatives. Pray that everyone involved in the accident will recover, and give thanks that our ministry in Timor-Leste really does save lives.
Flying patients to Dili Hospital
The homecoming Our pilots are grateful that even in times of death they can provide comfort to the people of South Sudan. Pilot Andrew Parker recently flew 70-yearold Justin Agangwa Thaibe ‘home’ to Mundri for burial. The body was accompanied by eight family members. For many African cultures, it’s traditional to bury the deceased in the place they were born. But with civil war uprooting much of the country’s population, going ‘home’ at one’s death isn’t always an option. Because of this, Andrew was pleased MAF could serve a grieving Sudanese family by bringing Justin’s body back home. Justin was a retired senior medical assistant from Juba Teaching Hospital and lay reader at the Episcopal Church. He also taught parishioners about Christian stewardship and the importance of tithing. Justin’s family and friends gathered at the MAF compound before the flight, singing Gospel hymns. His sister wept as the Bishop of Mundri prayed. Although the bishop drove for 12 hours from Mundri to Juba on some of the worst roads in South Sudan, Andrew flew the mourners back from Juba to Mundri in just 30 minutes. ‘We took the plane because of the condition of the road,’ Bishop Bismark explained. ‘It’s not possible to drive with the body for 12 hours. Some of the
female relatives are elderly. So, as both church and family, we decided to ask for MAF’s assistance.’ As the plane landed, a crowd of friends and relatives lined the small dirt airstrip, ready to welcome their loved one home with a mixture of joy and sadness. Give thanks for our close partnership with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. We often fly their church workers and missionaries around the country to provide Christian hope and humanitarian assistance. ‘We rely heavily on MAF. If MAF wasn’t here,’ exclaimed the bishop, ‘I don’t know what we would do. We really value the work MAF is doing. We are enormously grateful.’
Relief and grief Praise God for our ability to transport six tons of aid supplies to starving villagers in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) after the Purari River flooded. The area was declared a disaster zone after the flood displaced 6,000 people. Pray that the subsistence populations of Wabo, Wuraru, Purari, Poroi and Subu who were left without food and shelter will continue to find comfort and support. Due to persistent bad weather, a relief programme continued for several weeks from our base in Goroka. Supplies flown in included rice and mosquito nets. Our Twin Otter aircraft evacuated
• ARNHEM LAND Praise God for the great progress made on the new passenger facilities and resource area at our Ministry Support Centre. Pray they’ll be completed by the beginning of next year. • Give thanks for the MAF outreach trips to Bremmer Island and Gurrumurru homeland in Arnhem Land. The teams and the Gospel received a warm welcome. • KENYA Praise God for the increased demand for flights to Marsabit, enabling ministry among isolated people in the north. Pray that many more people in the region will become Christians. • MADAGASCAR A recent flight enabled Wycliffe Bible Translators to show the Jesus film in Marolambo in the local dialect. Praise God that over 800 Malagasy crammed into a small church to see it. • MOZAMBIQUE A number of the missionaries MAF serves in Mozambique say they’re experiencing spiritual warfare. The people they work with are growing in their faith, and are experiencing opposition.
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Safer by plane Our team called Blue Sky Aviation in Mongolia is made up of 12 staff – 11 local and 1 international, operating a Cessna Caravan aircraft. They ask us to pray for a nine-month-old baby who was recently given an emergency medical airlift. When the child’s condition developed into chronic pneumonia, a local doctor called MAF, knowing that a difficult road journey would only make the life-threatening situation worse. When the request came through, MAF Pilot Ryan Van Geest immediately flew the small boy and his family from Baruun-Urt in the far west of the country to Ulaanbaatar, the capital. The boy is currently in hospital, responding to medication. Please pray for a full recovery. His father is grateful to MAF for our prompt and efficient response.
• PAPUA MAF recently participated in the dedication of the Hupla translation of the Bible. This is only the third complete Bible translation in Papua. Praise God for a joyful event, and pray that the translation blesses those who read it. • PNG Uphold Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship General Manager Michael Wakefield who had a bicycle accident, and returned to Australia for surgery on his broken collarbone. Pray the injury will heal quickly. • Pray that applications for visas for MAF personnel in PNG will be favourably received. • TIMOR-LESTE Pray for opportunities for Pilot Michael Bottrell and his wife Jenni to share the Gospel in Dili over the Christmas period. • WORLDWIDE Many families will be on home assignment over Christmas. Pray for safe travel, a refreshing break, and a strengthening of relationships with family and supporters. Give thanks for God’s blessings in 2014, and uphold staff who will be taking on extra work while the others are away.
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20 villagers at a time from Wabo – some of whom required medical care. Two people from the neighbouring village of Herowana sadly drowned while fishing, when a flash flood swept them away. Their bodies were found two days later. MAF flew into Herowana with coffins for the burials, and provided the grief-stricken relatives with food. Please uphold those who are grieving or are suffering from the devastating effects of the flood.
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