Can you believe it's more than three years since COVID-19 first caused so much havoc in the world? The ‘stay-at-home’ mandate to help prevent the virus from spreading — though necessary — had many people whispering a prayer for life to return speedily to normal
Post-lockdown, I’m not sure we have returned to ‘normal’. Although we can leave our homes without fear of being fined, church doors are open, and we’re able to shop without needing to wear a mask, is life really the same as it was before? I suspect not. I wonder, have we lost the grace of connecting?
If we were to take a good look at the world, we’d notice the cost-of-living crisis, countries at war, the after-effects of natural disasters, global political instability, and a tremendous amount of division. But division isn’t just between countries and political parties — it is part of the human condition. People are becoming increasingly polarised, even within the Body of Christ.
Romans 12:5 reminds us that we are all part of the same body. We were created for connection — with God and with one another. As the Scripture below says, ‘That’s how it is with us.’ In a world that is so divided, let us be a people who unite. May we be a witness and a light to those caught up in fear and foreboding. It starts with you and me. It’s going to take courage and some dying to self, but I think it’ll be worth it, don’t you?
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Rev Victoria Fagg Prayer Communications Leader, MAF UKPraise God for the successful installation of new
doors at our South Sudan base in the capital Juba! We are so grateful for the skilled workers who were walking closely enough to the Lord to hear His call for their expertise, in a situation where there are often many operational challenges and obstacles. However, when we listen and pray, God involves us in His plans and provides all we need.
Today, let’s take a moment to remember all those who look after our prayer ministry in the offices of MAF UK and MAF International. Ask God to continue giving them fresh, creative ideas to help staff and supporters understand the needs of those we serve, and uphold our mission to isolated people in remote communities. Pray that MAF personnel won’t grow weary of meeting together, either at home or while serving around the world. Recently, we delivered an aircraft to Liberia that will eventually serve in Guinea. Whenever we commission a new or repurposed plane, MAF colleagues circle it to ask God’s blessing on the aircraft and the thousands of flights ahead of it. Our pilots also pray before each flight. Please pray that prayer will always remain at the centre of our ministry.
Praise God for our Arnhem Land programme and the flights made by its pilots in support of so many isolated people. Give thanks that it is able to continue supporting part-time MAF Pilot Prabhu Pothula and his wife Christina, as they work with Pioneers Australia. As they establish a ministry that helps Yolŋu believers to disciple one another, MAF Arnhem Land provides the couple with subsidised flights and housing.
Pray for David and the new role God gave him, which brought him back to Galiwin’ku — also known as Elcho Island — after he’d been to Bible college. ‘God gives me the words,’ says David, ‘and I must speak what He says.’ Consider the lonely path that David walks in his commitment to spread the Gospel. Although he is the rightful leader of his Yolŋu clan, David has sacrificed that position because of his faith and, as a result, now has few Yolŋu friends. Pray that there is a change of heart among non-believers.
Please keep the young people of Arnhem Land in your hearts. Violent behaviour, substance abuse and suicide are sadly prevalent, so please pray that Christ will reveal Himself — through ministries such as David’s — to these youngsters before further tragedies occur.
Praise God that, thanks to MAF flights, Bible teachers were able to share the Gospel in Puluk, Papua. Please uphold Papuan evangelist Liku, who made the commitment to live among the community there, with his family, in order to spread the Good News far and wide. Give thanks that, as a result of this selfless sacrifice, many villagers have now come to Christ!
‘He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11, ESV). Prayerfully consider whether there is someone in your life to whom you could offer a word of encouragement.
Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a frequent MAF flyer. The Christian NGO works in Kimatong, South Sudan, encouraging local believers to start their own church. Pray for the team as they seek to encourage the Christians and build relationships there. And pray for the growth of Ankem Church in Papua New Guinea that officially opened its doors on Christmas Eve 2022. Our aircraft flew the building materials for its construction, and MAF families were invited to that special dedication because of the crucial part they played in its birth.
Praise God that He refreshes and strengthens our leaders, as MAF serves in His name, sharing His goodness throughout the world. Uphold in prayer MAF UK’s new Chief Executive Donovan Palmer. Ask God to guide his decision-making and strategic plans for the future to best enable us to serve some of the world's most isolated people, recalling the Scripture, ‘He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake’ (Psalm 23:3, NIV).
Give thanks for all the MAF Country Directors serving the men, women and children where they live and work, often in challenging and hostile environments. Think about the huge responsibility these programme leaders share as custodians of the world’s largest humanitarian air service — maintaining the highest standards in the air and on the ground. Pray especially for those who are new to their role, and are adjusting to new teams, climate and cultures.
Please pray for the leaders of the 1,400 national and international organisations that rely on our aircraft as we unite to bring medical care, educational progress and the inspiration of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Ask for God’s blessing on the work of MAF partners — a unique and incredible multitude of professionals and volunteers who change lives on a daily basis.
When MAF Tanzania flew a team from UNICEF to Lesirwai, health workers were able to inoculate children against polio. The short flights saved them hours of arduous overland travel and helped the Ministry of Health to provide more than 12 million under-fives with a life-saving oral vaccine. Pray that word will continue to spread about MAF’s regular safaris, enabling more people to receive medical help.
Please remember that — in order to deliver help, hope and healing across the globe — we work in partnership with various officials. Please pray for favour and wisdom as we approach the relevant authorities for permits to be granted and for documents to be approved for MAF personnel, runways, hangars, staff buildings, accommodation or simply our ability to fly.
‘I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now’ (Philippians 1: 3-5 NIV). Pray for God’s blessing on our faithful supporters — tens of thousands of MAF family members who partner with us in our ministry. We cannot adequately express our gratitude for your prayers and provision and how they transform lives worldwide!
Praise God for our MAF Timor-Leste programme! The past 15 years have seen our service become an invaluable asset to a nation that is building slowly on the independence it gained at the beginning of the millennium. In spite of valuable natural resources such as gas and marble, Timor-Leste remains an economically poor country. Pray for its people as they strive to work their way out of daily hardship.
Most people in Timor-Leste are employed in agriculture. Reflect upon the many men, women and children who depend upon their own growing skills to produce enough to eat, and ask God to make the land fertile. Pray also for God’s continued blessings on the country’s health and education services. During the past two decades, child mortality has fallen steadily and a sustained building programme has seen a significant increase in secondary school enrolment.
‘MAF’s regular flight operation is very helpful in generating local economic income through local and international visitors to the island,’ says Egidio da Purificação Soares, who works for the Tourism for All project. Please pray that our flights to nearby Atauro Island will continue to help boost this new wave of tourism and feed the local economy.
Pray for Ruth Hitchins, who co-ordinates MAF's holistic care programme Closing the Loop, and our Care Pack Programme Co-ordinator Rebecca Klassen. Thanks to these initiatives, medevac patients who arrive at hospital with no belongings receive MAF care packs containing clothing and other essentials they simply cannot bring with them when time is of the essence.
Consider the impact of your prayers for for MAF Timor-Leste, and how your spiritual and financial support plays a crucial role in providing access to emergency healthcare. You ‘fuel’ our aircraft so that they can save lives — saving time transporting isolated patients from villages with limited health provision to hospitals in the more populated areas.
‘It’s a privilege to see that every flight really makes a difference and impacts those who are in need of help,’ says MAF Pilot Jan Klassen. Pray that Jan’s words will reach the hearts of potential MAF pilots and inspire them to join our team. And please keep this fledgling nation in your prayers. Its people face a long, uphill struggle to leave the burden of colonialism and conflict behind as they seek to build a better future for themselves and their children.
Praise God for MAF’s role in helping deliver the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Pray that, as we bring help, hope and healing to some of the world’s poorest nations, more goals will be achieved and countless lives transformed by the Christ’s love in action. May ‘Zero Hunger’ be the first goal that we play a part in achieving.
Consider how MAF supports a plethora of Sustainable Development Goals — from ‘Good Health and Well-being’ to ‘Quality Education’, and ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ to ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’. Uphold our medical safari flights and those for partners who deliver culturally appropriate education opportunities to isolated children. Pray for the support we provide for the myriad agencies who keep millions alive in refugee settlements.
MAF is a flag-bearer for ‘Gender Equality’ and is assisting in the fight against female genital mutilation in countries like Tanzania. Uphold our partnership with HopeCo which is pioneering a project to provide shelter, clothing and food for vulnerable young women in their hour of need. Without MAF flights, teams of experts won't reach girls who have no way of making the long, dangerous journey to the project independently.
Give thanks for the 13 MAF Communications Officers scattered throughout the Africa and the Asia-Pacific regions. Pray they report on our work in a way that brings glory to God and faithfully reflects what’s happening. In your prayers, please also remember those from the West trying to connect effectively with their churches, friends and relatives at home, despite the technological difficulties caused by distance.
God speaks to us through His Word, through preaching, through creation, through our conscience, friends, and by His still, small voice. Reflect on the souls saved during an outreach in Papua New Guinea by MAF Technologies where Gospel tracts were distributed alongside mini solar lighting kits. Today, consider how good you are at communicating His message, then ask Him for any assistance you need in doing so.
Please pray that the recent converts to Christianity in Lesotho will continue to communicate Christ’s light to their communities. Uphold all our brothers and sisters in the MAF world who seek to spread the Good News — sometimes in the face of hostility or apathy. Pray to God for a year-on-year increase in the flights to isolated people that make so much Christian witness possible, and have done for more than 75 years.
Praise God for the blessing that MAF spouses Helen Symmonds and Harriëtte Knigge are to their local community in Papua New Guinea. Having undertaken some training on healing trauma through storytelling, they hope to offer support to the ladies living in the local prison and women’s refuge. Pray that they will be of help in providing healing to those who are struggling with unresolved trauma.
Consider the huge part played in our mission by MAF spouses. Julie Anne Cousley works in a school while husband Glenn works in MAF’s hangar in Mareeba as an aircraft maintenance engineer. Earlier this year, Julie Anne took some students on a four-day camping trip where they learnt essential life skills such as meal planning, shopping for ingredients and cooking. Give thanks for the valuable experience they gained.
Operations Projects Officer Siobhain Cole is on the committee of the Ladies’ Fellowship Group at her local church in Telefomin, PNG, which involves women from different backgrounds. As well as supporting and encouraging one another, they occasionally run classes such as peanut butter making and knitting. Pray that the Holy Spirit empowers these women to share the Gospel with their families and to lean on Jesus when times are hard.
In 2022, £1.5 million was given to MAF by supporters who first heard about us from volunteers at church meetings. Praise God that face-to-face meetings continue to encourage excellent engagement through the work of our dedicated volunteer speakers and church representatives. We thank God that our Youth Team is now fully staffed and ready to explore all the avenues available for inspiring young people. Pray particularly that our School Partnership programme will continue to grow.
‘When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.
Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady till sunset.’ Exodus 17:12 reminds us that we need other believers to join us when we pray. Give thanks for all the prayer warriors lifting up our organisation — past, present and future. God is the same yesterday, today and forever!
MAF speakers, church representatives and regional co-ordinators are gathering for a volunteers’ conference in Birmingham on Saturday 30 September for a time of fellowship, worship and training. This will be the first time they have come together as a whole group since 2020. Please pray that it will be a time of great celebration and encouragement.
Praise God for the vital work of CEML Hospital in Angola. Since it opened in 2006, MAF aircraft have supported the hospital by flying patients, supplies and staff. Pray for continued flight safety, and for the wonderful medical staff led by Dr Steve Foster and Dr Annelise Olson. The hospital is run by Christians, so the staff pray that the witness they provide as they care for patients will have a lasting impact.
MAF has always been a pioneer of HF radio – providing hard-to-reach communities with the equipment and training they need so that people can continue listening to school programmes and Christian ministry, and request medevac flights when needed. Please pray for our electronics engineers as they continue that service.
Please uphold Grace Community Church in South Sudan and pray for its local outreach. The church was founded by Rev Bernard Suwa who, as a child, was helped by MAF when he and his family were refugees. Having become a Christian as a teenager, Bernard’s fruitful ministry has been greatly influenced by those early connections with MAF. You can hear more about Bernard’s enthralling story in episode 2 of our Flying For Life podcast at www.maf-uk.org/podcast
Give thanks and praise to God for the brilliant staff at MATC – our pilot training centre in the Netherlands. It is their responsibility to prepare young men and women to serve overseas with MAF. We currently have three people training as pilots, and others who will be going through flight evaluations. Ask Him to guide trainers and trainees to successful outcomes.
Take a moment to consider our recruitment team’s constant need for wisdom and insight as they journey with Christians currently exploring the possibility of overseas service. Pray too for all the spouses and children of those working with MAF overseas. Many are involved in serving the local community and church, in evangelism, hospitality and other ministries. Pray for opportunities, courage and wisdom in all they do.
Now that applications for our Engineer Training Scheme have closed for this year, please pray for those making selection decisions for entry in 2024. Pray also for the growing number of potential MAF aircraft maintenance engineers engaged in theoretical and practical training in the UK. May God give them the physical and mental stamina to remain committed to a profession that is central to the work of the world’s largest humanitarian airline.
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Mandy Glass, Ide Gooden, Matt Henderson, Mark Hewes, Landen Kelly, Harriëtte Knigge, Wilfred Knigge, Emil Kundig, Eivind Lindtjorn, Lem Malabuyo, Jacqueline Mwende, St Mark’s Church, St Mary and St Chad School, Lukas Schadegg, Lukas Schmid, Grant Strugnell, Joy Suarkia, Simeon Tom