Prayer and Praise!

Forgive me ... I have been a terrible blogger! I did NOT think it would be this hard to motivate myself to blog, but apparently, that's what having a child and a life does after awhile. Thus, I am sneaking in this time to blog at 5:30 am, because I have a few minutes of silence ... so here goes!

I'd really like to keep this post simple ... although updates are lovely, I really want to keep this post focused on prayer. Here are some of the things on our minds or hearts in this season:

Praise:

• Wow! Praise God for this life we have here. Though it is not easy at times, the sense of purpose we have in being here in Angola is strong and the sense of peace during stressful or discouraging times carries us through.
• Praise God for great news in our families--Kelly's sister was recently married (and we Skyped in to the wedding) and various family members and friends are having children.
• Praise God for safe, successful flights and effective ministries over the last few months. God has been protecting us, the pilots, the planes, and the passengers!
• Finally, praise God for awesome staff here at MAF Angola. Daily, they inspire us with their prayerfulness, kindness towards one another, enthusiasm for MAF, and sense of hospitality and family.

Prayer:

• The situation in Angola continues to be tough for many Angolans. Pray for those who are served by MAF and our partner ministries--namely, patients of the various clinics and hospitals that are run here. Pray for financial means for them, for miraculous healing, for a sense of God's love behind each consult, for encouragement and hope despite sickness and death.
• Pray constantly for safety with our various flights. As safety officer and chief mechanic, this obviously weighs heavy on Marcel's mind, as he bears responsibility for these things. 
• Pray for the students in the international school, many of whom are young, spiritually immature Christians, or don't yet know Christ. Pray for their families, for their hearts, for their school work, and for us, the teachers.
• Pray for the medical staff we work with regularly, as many of them feel tired, overworked, and overwhelmed by the needs around them. Pray for more personnel ... as this is probably the greatest need right now. Pray for short-term AND long-term doctors, nurses, PAs, and nurse practitionners. 
• Pray finally for our MAF team. Pray for us ex-pat missionaries, pray for the national staff, and pray for our families. Many of the staff face daily struggles, yet remain so hopeful. Pray for unity. Pray for opportunities to be a light in this dark time. Pray for the children of our MAF staff who are studying English with me, that their minds may grow and learn! 

ESL with our staff's children.

A school class visits the hangar.