Prayer Diary WINTER 2015 January — March 2015 www.maf-uk.org/prayer PRAYER DIARY Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 PRAY CONTINUALLY INTRODUCTION John Wesley once said, Less than an hour passed before the clouds began to thin. The sun suddenly ‘Prayer is where the action is.’ broke through and the sound of an engine As a dynamic and responsive organisation, could be heard in the distance. MAF Pilot MAF has often been privileged to deliver the Clint Smith was circling overhead, ready to answer to people’s prayers – and is certainly land at Kawito airstrip with a trainee pilot. at the forefront of the action! MAF planes never land in Kawito on It’s so heart-warming when we hear how Tuesdays. God had intervened through a few have gathered together during an this one-off training flight. emergency, and God has used one of our Perhaps you are still praying for God little planes to send His help, hope and to intervene in a situation in your life, or healing to places of great need. perhaps you are part of His intervention. Here’s just one of those uplifting stories. However you feel God is leading you One Tuesday morning, a missionary family today, we want to encourage you not to living in a remote area of Papua New Guinea give up praying. Your prayers are heard by was facing a crisis. Awful weather had our heavenly Father – they are part of His damaged vital equipment, destroyed phone will for our world. MAF’s ministry is proof that lines and cut their electricity supply. There prayer does lead to action, and lives are was flooding in every direction, and the bad being changed for His Kingdom. weather looked set to continue. Trying desperately to make contact with We hope you enjoy our new ‘fresh- the outside world, their failed attempts looking’ Prayer Diary. brought them to their knees. They were completely cut off and running out of food. This increased size allows us to keep you better informed of our work, and we hope that the Only God could help them now. inclusion of maps and some country statistics With rain continuing to batter against their will help you feel more connected to the action. home, the family gathered around a candlelit This new format has even reduced the cost of table and began to pray. ‘Send a plane, God. printing, so your gifts will go even further. Send a message to the pilots, even though We are so grateful for your prayers and they are hundreds of miles away.’ commitment to the work of MAF – may you know God’s rich blessings as you pray. 2 Prayer Diary | Winter 2015 www.maf-uk.org HEALING AND PEACE JANUARY THURSDAY 1 Several countries in West Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Liberia, where our You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, newest programme will be based, are struggling to combat the O God our saviour. You are Ebola virus [below right]. Pray for the doctors and nurses we fly, the hope of everyone on as they care for those suffering from the disease. earth. FRIDAY 2 Recent outbreaks of violence in the Horn of Africa, Psalm 65:5 South Sudan and Kenya and tension in eastern DRC and northern Uganda threaten areas of our work in those regions. Pray for peace, protection and stability. ‘When the rain falls, it’s totally impossible to come here. With MAF SATURDAY 3 We need more pilots to join our team in South it’s just one or two hours. I can now Sudan. Pray that those with the right qualifications will come come and preach the Gospel. Thank forward. you MAF very much!’ Jean Claude, evangelist, Madagascar Winter 2015 | Prayer Diary 3 MADAGASCAR JANUARY SUNDAY 4 Praise God for our flights for organisations such as UNICEF, CBM and Wycliffe Bible Translators. Give thanks that, COUNTRY FACTS through these partnerships, MAF helps their personnel provide a wide range of education, health and conservation projects. MONDAY 5 Uphold Programme Manager Bert van den Bosch and his wife Janetta [left]. Pray for wisdom and understanding as Bert plans how best to support our partners. Programme begins 1988 TUESDAY 6 Each year, we make a large number of medical 2 aircraft emergency flights – flying 23,201,926 population patients from remote communities to Antananarivo Hospital. These medevacs often save patients’ lives. Praise God for this 27 members of staff caring, life-saving ministry. Key partners Africa Inland Misison, CBM, WEDNESDAY 7 Pray that the churches in Madagascar will HoverAid, Medair, UNICEF, Wycliffe deepen their passion for God’s Word and be an effective Bible Translators witness. Give thanks that, by flying missionaries and church leaders to remote villages, our pilots help further God’s Kingdom. THURSDAY 8 Uphold the work of Good News Hospital at Mandritsara, one of our many partners. Pray for its staff who seek to bring healing and share the Gospel. FRIDAY 9 Pray for new MAF Pilot Becki Dillingham and her husband Matt. They arrived from the UK last autumn. Uphold Becki as she gets used to the challenges of landing on steep mountainside airstrips. SATURDAY 10 Join us in praying for someone to serve as a Home School Support Teacher in Arnhem Land in Australia’s remote Northern Territory. 4 Prayer Diary | Winter 2015 www.maf-uk.org COUNTRY FACTS 2.6% Australian Aborigine population 161 indigenous languages 102 locations served in Arnhem Land Key partners Australian Society for Indigenous AUSTRALIA JANUARY Languages, Church Mission Society, Galiwin’ku Bible Translation Project, SUNDAY 11 Praise God for an increase in the number of people Pioneers Australia asking MAF Technology Services for electronic devices which contain Gospel resources. Our staff are encouraged that so many people in Arnhem Land want to receive God’s Word. MONDAY 12 Uphold Jason Job, who recently took over from David Pett as Elcho Island Base Manager. Pray for God’s encouragement and strength as Jason settles in. TUESDAY 13 Daniel Simkins served as Finance Manager in Tanzania and then Kenya, and is now working in the regional support office in Cairns. Uphold Daniel, his wife Libby [left] and the team in Cairns as they support The earnest prayer of a programmes in Arnhem Land, righteous person has great Bangladesh, Timor-Leste and Papua power and produces New Guinea. wonderful results. WEDNESDAY 14 Uphold Mark and James 5:16 Jenny Beckwith [above right] who recently moved from Tanzania to Mareeba, Australia. As well as doing design work, Mark will be working as an aircraft maintenance engineer. ‘Knowing our 20-minute flight could save a life THURSDAY 15 Pray for strength, health and energy for MAF compared with a 4-hour personnel in Australia, and for everyone involved in the Flight bumpy road journey really Training Centre’s move from Melbourne to Mareeba. brought the need home to me.’ FRIDAY 16 David Pett has been appointed Training Captain for James Skinner, Relief Pilot, the single piston fleet of MAF aircraft worldwide. He and his Arnhem Land wife Jen are now based at our Cairns office, and David will be training new and experienced pilots at MAF’s new Mareeba Training Centre. Pray for them as they resettle into a western culture, having moved from remote Elcho Island. SATURDAY 17 Pray that the right person will soon take up the role of Flight Instructor and join our International Training Centre at Mareeba. Winter 2015 | Prayer Diary 5 UGANDA JANUARY SUNDAY 18 Praise God for Tutapona, an organisation that ministers in war-affected areas to offer trauma counselling to COUNTRY FACTS victims of war. We regularly fly Tutapona staff to help refugees who’ve fled from the violence in South Sudan. Pray the airstrip at Adjumani will soon be opened to help facilitate this work. MONDAY 19 Several new pilots arrived in Uganda last year – a real answer to prayer. Uphold Matt Eagar, Dave Forney, Martin Zimmerman and their families, and pray they will soon feel part of our team. Be encouraged that God hears our prayers for MAF’s many vacancies. 7 aircraft TUESDAY 20 Building work is underway to construct a new MAF office building at Kajjansi airfield. Pray that the relocation 459 partner organisations process from our existing offices will go smoothly. 60 ethnic groups WEDNESDAY 21 Remember Aircraft Key partners Maintenance Engineer Mark Care International, Jesus Film Ministries, Newnham and his wife Sarah [left]. Oxfam, Samaritan’s Purse, UNICEF Last year, they moved to a house with a two-bedroom apartment attached. This will serve as an MAF For my house will be called guesthouse which Sarah will help a house of prayer for all run. Pray as they serve the Lord in nations. their different capacities, and offer hospitality. Isaiah 56:7 THURSDAY 22 Today, as you think about our work in Uganda, why not ask God what to pray? As you wait on Him, jot down anything that comes to mind and allow Him to lead your prayers. We’d love to hear what God is saying to you – please do get in touch. FRIDAY 23 Pray for Geoff and Celia Linkleter from the UK [right]. They joined our team in Uganda last autumn. Geoff recently trained as an aircraft maintenance engineer. They join Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Andy Swanson and his wife Heather, who also arrived in Uganda in 2014. SATURDAY 24 Pray we will soon find someone for the role of Operations Manager in Uganda.