I don’t know about you, but I don’t know many people who live completely without the stresses and tensions of everyday life. For some, the pressure becomes overwhelming
So much has happened in the last few years. Global pandemic, ongoing war and conflict, natural disaster, economic crisis, political instability — the list goes on and on. Many people bear the scars and trauma of modern-day life.
The apostle Paul was no stranger to stress and conflict. When writing to the church in Thessalonica, he encouraged the believers to remain steadfast, to stay close to the Lord and to live according to His ways. His second letter appears to address the issues the young church is experiencing — discouragement, laziness and misguided teaching.
Paul reminds the believers to stay focused on Jesus and on what’s to come, rather than what’s currently going on. He encourages them to stay faithful and never tire of doing good.
He then blesses them with this prayer, ‘Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you’ (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV).
This is my prayer for you too. That, in the midst of life’s challenges, you will know the Lord’s peace, at all times and in every way. That you will be aware of His presence every day.
Peace be with you as you , and
Rev Victoria Fagg Prayer Communications Leader, MAF UKPraise God for a three-day outreach to Bihute Prison, Papua New Guinea (PNG), earlier this year. A team from MAF Technologies PNG and the Evangelical Brotherhood Church showed the Jesus film, distributed Bibles and held various worship services. Pray that all the prisoners who saw the film, took a Bible or heard the Gospel will turn to the Lord, discovering John 8:36’s promise of freedom in Christ.
Ponder the many miraculous ways in which God reaches out and touches the lives of so many people. Uphold the boxing ministry started by MAF staff in Uganda, which has resulted in three boxers going to church. Pray that everyone who takes part in this dynamic ministry will end up fighting the good fight and gaining a victor’s crown that will last forever.
A recent flight in Guinea enabled medical missionaries to treat patients suffering from a variety of conditions. The outreach also provided the missionaries with a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel with the remote community. Pray that many will continue to encounter the God of peace.
Praise God for MAF PNG and its role in supporting biodiversity in one of the most naturally spectacular countries on earth. Because God’s creation is always under threat, our partnership with ecological organisations becomes increasingly important as we fly into the future. Thank God, too, that He finds a way for people to accommodate ‘traditional’ life within the needs of His planet. MAF partner Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) works with 50 villages to protect tree kangaroos from extinction.
Think of a world devoid of half its remarkable animal species, then ponder the fact that, in May, a study led by Queen’s University Belfast found that 48% of our species are in decline. Ask God to show us ways in which we can take far greater care of everything He has entrusted to human nurture.
MAF seeks to provide an example of creation care to those we serve. Pray for our partnerships with other agencies, government departments and churches as we seek to reduce the environmental impact of our work both in the UK and overseas. Please pray especially for Australian conservationists Jim and Jean Thomas whose TCA conservation and community development base at Lumi in northern PNG is managed by local staff and international volunteers.
Praise God for the four aircraft maintenance engineers and three pilots currently in various stages of training for service with MAF. We’re so thankful for the way He is calling people to our new training programmes. It’s a big commitment, but we pray that they’ll all serve God’s Kingdom in amazing ways.
Consider the words of MAF trainee pilot Joshua White: 'God has led me, from the small seeds planted by my grandparents, to my first time going up in an aircraft at the MAF training centre.’ Remember your vital part in the process that the entire MAF family plays in encouraging those around us in their call to mission.
Please pray for Tim Dingwall who started his engineer training this year, and that he and his wife Alice (bottom) will experience the blessing of being part of a friendly community. Former MAF PNG staff member Erwin Jungen has swapped numbers and spreadsheets to train to become an MAF pilot! Pray a blessing over him as he completes his training and feels peace wherever he is called to serve.
MAF Haiti’s national staff have left the capital Port-au-Prince due to rapidly deteriorating social conditions, and expatriate families have moved to MAF US headquarters. Pray that God will continue to provide His people with peace and protection despite the situation there — particularly the three national MAF families whose homes were overrun by gangs.
Pause to contemplate the world of violence and unrest we live in — which Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:6-8. Meditate on the idea that peace is more than just the absence of conflict. It also represents harmony, wholeness and wellbeing. Give thanks for the MAF partners that bless local communities by providing food, water and the Gospel. In Tanzania, staff from Malambo Bible College fed 300 drought-affected adults and children and, in Kenya, our aircraft enabled Foundations for Hope to provide a well, a church and essential healthcare for isolated villages.
Ask God to bless South Sudan — where MAF aircraft have flown since 1950 – with peace in the run-up to next year’s elections. In a land born of civil war and vulnerable to sporadic outbursts of violence, pray for MAF Country Director Ben Klassen (above) whose 47 personnel serve around 200 Christian organisations and humanitarian agencies.
Praise God for being with our pilots, passengers and planes in Tanzania since that first in-country flight in 1963. His blessings on this country have manifested themselves in the physical healing and spiritual hope He has brought to its people through the MAF programme. Please pray for a population of more than 60 million people largely dependent upon whatever they can grow or farm. Life for them becomes ever harder as land that was once mostly savannah and bush is semidesert today.
Consider the incredible reach of Jesus’ love in a country more than three times the size of the UK, but with a road network that would see our daily, vehicle-centred lives grind to a halt. Pray that MAF Tanzania continues to provide its vital flight services for many years to come so that nothing can impede the spread of the Gospel.
Pray for Kiyapi, formerly a traditional healer and now a follower of Jesus. ‘I am ready to come to Jesus, receive Him as the Saviour of my life, and leave my old ways,’ were his words of repentance following his meeting with Elisha this year. Pray for Kiyapi’s community, that their joyful amazement at his transformation will lodge deep in their hearts — opening them to the reality of salvation.
Praise God that MAF partner CURE continues to make it possible for isolated disabled children in remote Kenya to undergo crucial operations. These men and women are playing their part in the drive to promote awareness of the heartbreaking inequality brought about by disability. Pray for peace and understanding in these communities as they begin to notice those who are overlooked and address their need.
Take a moment to picture what it would be like to be ill and living more than a day's journey from your nearest hospital. Consider the immense blessing that MAF’s fleet of aircraft are on a daily basis to men, women and children from Liberia to Arnhem Land. Your prayers are the rock upon which our planes and partners have built a rapid response system that has healed countless people living in the world’s most remote communities.
Earlier this year, Pilot Jan Klassen invited his dentist friend Dr Walter Plett to embark on a medical volunteer mission to help the people of Atauro Island to receive free dental treatment. Pray that access to dentists becomes easier in Timor-Leste so that people’s oral health can improve and, with it, their quality of life.
Praise God for the commitment shown by men and women of MAF partner Peacebuilding Opportunities Fund (POF). We provide crucial flights for POF personnel working towards long-term peace by encouraging reconciliation between South Sudanese tribes. Ask for God’s blessing on this painstaking work — it must succeed if the country is to rid itself of the civil conflict that has blighted it since gaining independence in 2011.
Many of the flights that take our partners to isolated people are in support of projects that seek to rebuild communities and nations after terrible conflict has torn them apart. Whenever and wherever you see war break out, please reflect on the decades it often takes for a full physical, mental and spiritual recovery. Pray for the professionals and volunteers who dedicate their lives to helping those who have had theirs shattered.
Please pray for our team in Angola, and for our partner HALO Trust as they carefully remove landmines. May God continue to give them the extraordinary courage and skill required to carry out a job that threatens their lives on a daily basis.
Praise God for the spouses of MAF PNG staff who are committed supporters of the Bible Faith Outreach orphanage, which looks after children who have been displaced by tribal violence. Run by ex-MAF staff member Rosa Kepo (above left) and her husband Jiwa, the orphanage ensures that children feel safe, secure and loved once they’re off the streets of Mount Hagen.
In Luke 18:16, Jesus instructs His disciples to, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ Take time to consider this verse. Your prayers for the youngest and most vulnerable members of any community contain within them the potential to usher in Christ’s return.
Earlier this year, we heard how some children are being sent home from school in Uganda because food shortages mean teachers are unable to provide them with lunch. Give thanks for MAF flights that support organisations such as ZOA and World Food Programme which are working to prevent this. Pray that food will become more readily available, and teachers won’t have to worry about whether they can feed the children.
Thank God for the continued maintenance and security of the remote Malambo airstrip in Tanzania. Crucial to the work of Malambo Bible College, and thus the transformation of people’s lives, the airstrip allows precious time to be saved by MAF flights and allows extra hours every week to be devoted to evangelism. Praise Him for speeding the Gospel to those desperate to hear it.
Consider the number of links in the 'chain' stretching from your steadfast support here in the UK to the men, women and children who eventually receive the Good News in remote communities worldwide. Prayer is the beating heart of MAF's mission to raise funds to train pilots to fly planes that transport nurses, teachers and emergency workers to where isolated people need them. Your prayers are so important.
Pray for the team of Congolese pastors who are reaching a previously unreached people group in the Democratic Republic of Congo with MAF’s assistance. Pray also that any contact made will be in the Lord’s timing and will result in peace rather than conflict. May God bless their efforts to bring the knowledge and love of Jesus to these precious people.
Praise God for the state-of-the-art MAF Training Centre in Mareeba, Australia. Please pray for the excellent staff there and the many students who will pass through Mareeba as they seek to serve Jesus as MAF pilots.
In 1 Samuel 17, as David prepared to face Goliath, he told Saul how the Lord had prepared him for this battle by enabling him to defend his sheep against lions and bears. If you have challenges ahead, spend time with God and remember the ways in which He has prepared you. Pray for MAF's staff worldwide and the challenges they face daily. May they be encouraged by the knowledge that God has prepared them for such a time as this.
Please uphold Dave and Becky Waterman in Liberia. Dave is part of the leadership of the maintenance base. At the beginning of the year, he oversaw the process of changing the aircraft and procedures to American standards, which will be useful for the years to come. Ask the Lord for energy and attention to detail as the team continues to learn all the different ways in which they now have to work.
Praise God for the men, women and children of Atauro Island, 20 miles off the coast of Timor-Leste, who appreciate the peace of mind that comes from knowing that help from MAF is just a call away — especially when the sea is too rough for boats. Please pray for continued safety as we fly to that remote community and that its people will be strengthened by God’s love.
Consider the magnificent blessing that is God’s perfect peace – given to us through the Holy Spirit – and how it feels for people who ache for that spiritual fruit. Reflect on the times you’ve felt that peace, and pray for MAF staff in the UK and overseas, and anyone you know who may be in need of this special blessing.
God promises to keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3). Pray that MAF pilots, whose ministry includes airlifting ill, injured and traumatised patients, will be protected from being adversely affected by the things they experience. Pray for continued resilience, mental wellbeing and the contentment that comes from laying all our burdens at the foot of the cross.
Give thanks to God for Christmas, when we remember He came to save the world. Today, let’s uphold MAF staff who are separated from their extended families during December. Pray that they will create wonderful memories and enjoy new traditions today. Remember those closer to home, too — friends, family, neighbours or church members who may be missing a loved one or are unwell or on their own.
This year, we’ve continued to grieve over the war and violence taking place around the world. We may have felt deflated when we consider that this often seems like a continuous state of affairs. Please pray for an outbreak of peace and goodwill this Christmastime, and that the Lord will continue to protect our national and international staff overseas.
Sam Tsapwe (top) and Jesus Film Ministries use MAF to travel to the Ssese Islands in Uganda to throw Christmas parties that share the love of Jesus with those living there. Pray that outreaches like these to some of the most remote communities and churches we serve will have an impact for generations to come.
Praise God that, through ongoing global crises, financial strains, conflict and unrest, MAF remains generously and faithfully supported by so many people around the world. Continue to uphold us as we plan for the future and discern where God is calling us, and ask the Holy Spirit to ensure help, hope and healing reaches all the people who need our planes.
Time flies and visionary ideas become part of our lives with increasing speed. MAF Technologies PNG continues to find new ways to bring technology to remote and hard-toaccess communities. The team recently distributed nearly 200 home solar kits to isolated people, providing them with electricity. Pray that innovation of all kinds will benefit even more communities whose future will depend increasingly upon new technologies.
Please pray for Donovan Palmer as he completes his first year as MAF UK’s Chief Executive. Keep him in your heart in 2024 as he leads the organisation into a new era of ambitious growth and aspirational fundraising that aims to transform ever more lives. Also pray for the leaders of MAF’s other resourcing groups around the world — together with thousands of incredible people like you, we will continue flying for life for decades to come.
Acadius Akungwi, Paula Alderblad, Lobitos Alves, Jean Bizimana, Duncan Colyer, CURE International, Jenny Davies, Tracey Feil, Zachary Francois, Damalie Hirwa, Mandy Glass, Marijn Goud, Rachel Gwole, Mark & Kelly Hewes, Tajs Jespersen, Dave Keyes, Jaco Loenen, Lem Malabuyo, Jacqueline Mwende, Lukas Schmid, Joerg Schowalter, Svein Robert Solberg, Joy Suarkia, Brad Venter, David Waterman
