Fuelled by Prayer March - May 2018
Resting The start of the year is usually when people feel motivated, energised and determined. Many people have started 2018 feeling the opposite. Life can present many opportunities to stress about, holidays are not always a reprieve, and the modern mind is constantly bombarded by an influx of information. “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, overcivilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” John Muir, a Scottish-American naturalist wrote those words over a hundred years ago, when five cars in the street meant traffic and social networking was at the Town Hall. How would he describe people now in the 21st Century? It might be wise to go on a hike to enjoy the peace that God brings us through nature, but it is not the way to find rest and peace. God wants us to live each day in true peace, resting in Him, not one day a week, or once a year on a holiday away from the “rat race”. What does that look like for you on a daily basis? Much like Paul’s examples in Philippians 4:12, our circumstances should not determine our peace and rest. The opposite of peace and rest, includes stress, fear, haste, agitation, conflict and many other negative emotions and actions. Jesus gives us true peace that surpasses all understanding; he gives us rest that we cannot find anywhere in the world, not even on that Tropical Island or Nordic getaway. A study by
Bloomberg ranked South Africa as the second most stressed country in the world – that places us above countries who have recently experienced war, like Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Several of the factors used in the survey to measure stress levels involved things that we feel we cannot control, like crime. But let us not underestimate the power of prayer and the choice to become an active member of one’s community. And there are things that we can control. God tells us to seek peace and pursue it. This year be intentional about renewing your mind, resting in God’s presence and laying burdens at His feet. God would never instruct us to do something that is impossible. When He instructs us to be anxious for nothing, He provides His power and peace to do so. Be encouraged, we have the Holy Spirit who guides us every second of every day. Ask Him what resting in Him looks like in your life. Are your boundaries in the right position? Do you need to prune your life so that your fruit does not rot? When you are doing things that God has not called you to, when you are trying to work the fruits of the spirit from the flesh instead, kindness can rot into people pleasing, love can turn into bitterness and self-control can become religion. Meditate on what is good and lovely (Phil. 4:8), rebuke every thought that does not bring you peace and know that His grace is 100% sufficient for you.
MAF SA MISSIONARY TEAM Steve (Pilot) and Camilla Eatwell Children: Nate and Cade
Please pray for the Eatwells to feel refreshed and energised. Pray that they will be blessed in their community. Pray for opportunities to share their faith across PNG. Please pray that God is revealed to many as they serve the spiritually and physically isolated people of PNG, in His name. Pray for their family’s health and safety and protection over Steve as he flies.
Brad (Pilot) and Michelle Venter Children: Nathan, Hailey and Megan Brad is now the Flight Operations Manager (FOM) of MAF PNG. Essentially the Flight Ops Manager is the chief pilot. Along with normal flying duties, Brad will be administering many other tasks. He will have to travel to Mount Hagen every week and stay there for a night or two. Please pray for their family entering this new phase. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea COUNTRY FACTS
13 273 120 44 848
Aircraft Locations Staff Partners Languages
Women and children are being blamed for witchcraft and the result is abuse. Pray against this deception and tactic of the enemy! Pray that the church will be encouraged to flourish and grow in Jesus. Pray for every believer to persevere in faith and courage. Pray for God’s protection over all MAF properties as PNG has a high crime rate. Pray that all fear will dissipate and that love will increase. Papua New Guinea
Kirstein (Pilot) and Amelia Combrink Children: Johann Peter, Louis Kirstein Please continue to pray for strength and wisdom as Amelia and Kirstein take care of their two young children. Pray for their community to be strengthened in Christ. Pray for good weather in Tanzania so that Kirstein can fly as often as needed. Pray for open doors to minister to the Maasai and for salvation and breakthrough for the many people that they have served over 2017.
Mark (pilot) and Lorraine Liprini Children: David and Ruth Please pray for Mark and Lorraine to find rest in the Lord as they worked over the Christmas holidays. Pray for ongoing good health for them, as there is much to accomplish in 2018. Mark is serving in Chad for the beginning of the year. Please lift up their two girls, as they deal with varied health situations and for wisdom for their son and his wife. Finally, please pray for local flight instruction opportunities for Mark for when he returns to South Africa. Tanzania
Chad COUNTRY FACTS
2 33 16 48 <120
Aircraft Locations Staff Partners Languages
Only a small fraction of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 40,000km of roads are paved, making overland travel time-consuming and dangerous. Tension between the Muslim north and the mainly Christian and animist south have caused significant instability. Pray for Peace. Praise God for making it possible for people in the Sahara Desert to be reached. Pray for the protection over our staff and for open doors. Chad
NEW MAF SA MISSIONARIES Grant (Pilot) and Emily Strugnell Children: Jane Grant and Emily married in 2012 and Jane, their daughter was born in 2015. The Strugnells are nearing the end of the MAF recruitment process so that Grant can serve as an MAF Pilot in Lesotho. Pray for strength and confidence to complete the final stages and begin to support raise.
Tobias Meyer (Pilot)
In 2011 Tobias felt called by God to change careers and soon after received funding to study for an Airframe & Powerplant mechanics licence as well as to start the training for his commercial pilot’s licence. He finished his pilot’s licence in 2015. He is now in the final stages of MAF’s application and training process. Pray for focus and energy as he takes part in Standardisation. Pray for all the paperwork and visas to come through in time to serve as a pilot in South Sudan. South Sudan
Lesotho COUNTRY FACTS
4 20 17 35 5
Aircraft Locations Staff Partners Languages
Lesotho is crippled by poverty, famine and one of the highest rates of HIV/ AIDS in the world. MAF creates access to food, medicines, and other essential services can be delivered. Pray for our missionaries who fly patients with HIV/AIDS to spread hope through Christ. Pray for the staff to feel encouraged to stand firm in the Lord, to keep their eyes on Him and to know that if God is for us, who can be against us? Lesotho
FEATURED MAF PROGRAMME
Mongolia Praise God for our team of 16 dedicated personnel. We thank Him for the mission He has given us to reach people living in remote and hard to access communities. Mongolia’s air pollution is five times worse than Beijing’s. Please pray for Mongolia’s air quality and for our flights to operate as often as we would like them to. Pray too for our staff’s health. If anyone is interested in a reminder to pray for them over the Northern winter, they can download the AirVisual app and then put Ulaanbaatar and their own city on the list as a comparison.
International
Four-year-old Mongolian Namuun wears a white polka-dot dress and a smile that melts hearts. Today, she loves to run, but when she was only 18 months old, she couldn’t crawl, walk or talk. Pray a blessing over Namuun, and lift up her amazing mum and the therapists from our partner Reaching the Light who are helping this beautiful girl to reach her full potential. Pray that the process of opening temporary airstrips in time for the busy summer season goes smoothly this year. Once open, an airstrip can provide a way into a community and can be used to bless many. Give thanks for the many medevac flights MAF carries out, including one for a tourist who was taken ill while climbing a mountain near Tsetserleg. We pray for every patient we fly. Mongolia is developing fast but there is still much spiritual poverty! Pray for the ministry of our ‘Jesus plane’ as it supports the fledgling Church and enables the needs of isolated communities to be met. Only 10 % of Mongolia’s roads are currently paved. And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. Exodus 20:8-10.
Mongolia
MAF SA LOCAL TEAM Maxine Holman CEO
Happy 2018 to everyone! Praise the Lord that 2017 finished on a good note for myself personally and for MAF. I became an aunty of twin boys, Thomas and Zach, in November 2017 and what a blessing they are. Please uphold my brother, Travis and sister-in-law, Kelly as they adjust to parenthood. Please continue to pray for me as I lead the MAF SA team, for wisdom and strength for all that the Lord is calling us to this year. The Lord is our source of strength, may we never lose sight of Him in the challenging times or the good times. Thank you for your prayers!
Thandeka Mndebele Operations Manager Please pray for new FFL donors and for favour. May I grow deeper in faith and in my relationship with Jesus.
Thabitha Mashabela Housekeeper
We praise the Lord for faithfullness upon our lives, for protecting us for so many years. Pray for my husband to find a good job. May God give us power to pray all the time. There is a promise for us - the new covenant! God is near to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Praise Him!
Samantha Gumede Somdle Operations Assistant Thank you for praying for a smooth delivery of our child Luyolo. Please pray for strength and wisdom for my husband and I to raise him well!
Maggie Mumba Finance Manager
Praise Jesus for His grace is sufficient for us. Thank Him for all that He has provided for us. Please pray for all our donors to be blessed in every way. Please uplift my family, pray for Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect timing and for open doors! Thank you for your prayers.
Precia Ngoepe Database and Donor Relations
Praise Him for His unfailing and everlasting love toward us. Our God is faithful and a promise keeper. Both my children passed their exams well. We praise the Lord for the funding that my son has been receiving for his studies, he qualified to do Honours and is busy with it this year. All glory to God. Please pray for my personal plans, that God will open necessary doors and His will be done, for the Salvation of my relatives and that I will find the right school for my daughter for grade 8 in 2019.
Gabriella Szabo Marketing & Events Coordinator Please pray that the entire MAF community discovers how to work from a place of rest in Jesus. Pray that we will know with all our hearts that Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grace is sufficient for us. We appreciate you!
Natalie Ramanna Office and HR Administrator Please pray that we would recruit more non-aviation staff to fill in critical roles in our programs world wide.
MAF South Africa Praise the Lord for our new pilot missionaries The Strugnells and Tobias Meyer. God is faithful! He hears our prayers. Pray for our two new MAF Pioneers Lesley Stoll and Kiki Wierenga in the Western Cape. Pray that they will be asked to speak at many churches and that they will be abundantly blessed! Pray for an increase in Programme Managers, IT Specialists and Engineers. May we send more!
Flying for Life
MAF SAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local initiative
Praise Jesus for so many people who have been spiritually and physially uplifted in Limpopo in 2017. Please pray for an increase in GPs to serve. Please pray for the people of Limpopo to repent for idolatry and ancestral worship and to turn their hearts fully to the Lord. Pray for people to experience the love of Jesus in a very real way. South Africa
YOUR FREE GIFT - AN MAF SPEAKER Do you want to be the first to hear all our latest news from around the world? Well, now you can - if you invite an MAF speaker to your church! Let us take you on a journey right to the heart of our work and see what an amazing difference one small plane can make. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll show you our pilots taking on some of the most challenging landscapes on earth as they strive to reach isolated communities. We cater for daytime and evening meetings, and all sizes of groups who want to discover more about the lifesaving work accomplished by our fleet of 135 aircraft in 26 countries. Email admin@mafsa.co.za or call 011 6592880 to book your speaker today.