3 April 2014 Issue 497

Prayer points

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News for Prayer

Thorn in the flesh On a recent trip to Kodike, Uganda – the remote village where MAF Flight Follower Fred Lokana was born, Fred, his wife Jocelyn and Dr Anna Cleminson, a palliative care specialist, received a warm welcome.

Word spread rapidly about the mini-clinic they were running the next day and, as dawn broke, the team saw a queue of villagers waiting for medical assistance.

Dr Anna treated people for fungal infections, malnutrition, anaemia and chest infections. She also met with new mothers to explain the importance of keeping their infants as clean as possible to avoid illness.

A large number of patients were treated for chigoe fleas, or ‘jiggers’ – parasites which regularly enter the hands and feet of Kodike’s villagers and cause intense irritation. Many people have as many as 50 jiggers in their skin and nails.

Rather than simply extract the fleas, the medical team taught parents how to remove jiggers from their children with a local wild thorn before the parasites became too large, or had the chance to lay eggs.

Thanks to MAF, these clinics are able to occur regularly – our flights saving medical teams a 13-hour drive on extremely poor roads.

Praise God for a successful nine-hour clinic,

which concluded with a heartfelt prayer for the health and livelihood of everyone in the village. Pray that future clinics and medical safaris in Kodike and other parts of Africa and Asia-Pacific will bless many remote people spiritually and physically.

Read all about it!MAF personnel KeA and Birgitta Arnlund, based in Lokichoggio, Kenya (NfP 496), give thanks that, with the help of their son Jonas who recently visited with his family, they finished roofing the dentistry clinic next to the Africa Inland Church medical centre.

The family also distributed 200 copies of a children’s book which Birgitta and Jonas’ wife Emma designed and produced.

With only 11% of people in the region able to read and write, the concept of reading is foreign to most villagers. Pray that the children’s book will help increase literacy in Lokichoggio and be a blessing to the community.

Happy endingMAF Pilot Josh Plett recently flew a team of doctors, dentists, nurses and eye specialists to Bekodoka, Madagascar. But when they arrived, it was clear that one of the buildings had been broken into and 40 bags of cement, 2 solar panels and 2 truck batteries had been stolen.

‘Recovering from the initial shock,’ Josh writes,

‘the team started to set up for the medical mission, erecting a tent to provide a workspace for the two dentists. By late Saturday, the team was ready to open its doors, knowing that the week ahead would be a busy and fulfilling one.

‘The next day, a pregnant lady arrived well into labour and it was all the team could do to get her onto the delivery table as the baby came out. It was a fantastic way to start the mission!

‘That week, a steady line of people sought help. As I saw the state of the teeth the dentists were working on, it was clear how important their service is.

‘As the team worked into the evening under headlamps, treating a patient who had waited all day to be seen, another man stumbled in who had walked 25 miles to see a dentist.’ Fortunately he made it.

During the day, while the teams examined patients and performed surgery, an evangelist visited the town to preach the Gospel.

Josh went with him and was asked to give a short testimony. ‘It was a blessing,’ Josh says, ‘to share with these isolated people that, although we come from worlds apart, I am a brother in Christ to those who have accepted Jesus as their saviour.’

Praise God for this successful outreach and pray that those who received treatment or heard the Gospel will become Christians.

Gogodala New Testament The Gogodala people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) began translating the Bible in the 1970s. Eventually, after 15 years’ work, the New Testament was finally printed.

Over the years, however, these books became increasingly worn-out with frequent use – and it was only because of generous donations that Gogodala believers considered printing more New Testaments.

Thanks to the funds raised, our aircraft recently carried the first 560 copies of the reprinted New Testament to Kawito.

After a moving dedication ceremony, copies were purchased eagerly – the delighted recipients smiling broadly as they took the precious Scriptures away.

Women from the community sang, danced and waved flags as members of the worship band celebrated in joyful song.

Pray that these new copies will enable many to follow Christ, grow in maturity and turn from false teaching in PNG.

To date, only 15 books of the Old Testament have been translated into Gogodala, so please pray for a complete translation of the whole Bible to soon be available for these enthusiastic new believers.

The Gogodala people receive long awaited copies of the New Testament flown in by MAF

• ARNHEM LAND MAF staff involved in a thanksgiving weekend held on Elcho Island praise God that 22 people were recently baptised at Yirrkala Beach, having been encouraged by the celebratory event.• Give thanks that Pioneers Australia and MAF are working together to disciple and mentor Yolŋu Christians and church leaders in Arnhem Land.• CHAD Praise God that we now have sufficient pilots to meet our busy flying requirements.

• HAITI Many of our flights carry short-term mission teams. Pray we can serve them effectively and that the Lord will bless the team as they spread the Gospel.• LESOTHO Three aircraft are currently grounded for maintenance. Pray that our aircraft maintenance engineers will get the planes fixed so they will be back in the air soon.• MALI Our staff are busy digging four wells this year. Pray that Malian villagers will soon enjoy clean water and, through our ministry, receive the living water that Jesus brings.

• PNG Staff at Mount Hagen have been experiencing lengthy power cuts and many of our national staff are desperate for water. Pray for a swift resolution to this serious problem.

• SOUTH SUDAN Continue to uphold our team. The potential for unrest remains in Juba and throughout the country. Pray that no further violent outbreaks take place (NfP 494).

• TANZANIA We are contacting our partners to explain our plans for restructuring MAF’s programme (NfP 496). Pray this goes smoothly and that all the organisations affected will understand the need for these changes.

• UGANDA A number of our international families need visas. Pray they will receive them soon. Pray too for Kalumba Mugabi as he settles into his new role as IT Officer.

• WORLDWIDE Pray that all overseas personnel who are feeling weary or ill will find strength, health and healing through Christ.