Mozambique (MNN) — Extremist insurgents in northern Mozambique continue to make life incredibly dangerous for the people there. Since the insurgency started in 2017, over 3,700 people have been killed and 800,000 displaced.
The national army and foreign reinforcements recently made some headway in pushing back the insurgents. However, Mozambique’s northern region still faces insecurity and the extremist group continues to be a significant threat.
The insurgents also make ministry harder for Christian organizations like Ambassador Aviation — the in-country name of Mission Aviation Fellowship.
According to Ambassador Aviation pilot Dave LePoidevin, “They’re attacking and killing people, beheading people, burning down their villages [and] houses, so it’s been very difficult.
“We evacuated missionaries out of that area. There aren’t very many left in the north, so that’s caused some complications to our service and disrupted us a bit.”
MAF transports several planeloads of medicine and equipment to the island of Ibo, from where they get distributed to an IDP camp. (Photo courtesy of Dave LePoidevin)
Over the last year, Ambassador Aviation has evacuated several hundred refugees from unstable northern areas. But as people flee their homes and livelihoods, they are often left with nothing. That’s why the ministry also helps distribute food aid and assists refugees where they can.
Although the insurgents have interrupted some of Ambassador Aviation’s other programs like MozMed, they haven’t stopped it. MozMed pilots fly medical teams consisting of doctors, nurses, dentists, and other health personnel to village clinics where they help with critical patient care.
Most of the areas they serve are remote and largely unreached with the Gospel. Dave Holmes, another pilot with Ambassador Aviation says, “We have to initially tread lightly while we develop relationships within the community. But our ultimate desire is, in the future, [to] eventually gain the respect and trust of village leaders and maybe be able to do things like show the Jesus Film or something like that where we can have a little more of an evangelism impact.”
Please pray for open hearts to the Gospel in Mozambique. Pray also for wise leaders to find ways to re-establish peace in the northern region.
(Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)
Holmes says, “Another thing that we would ask prayer for is our program specifically is very short-staffed. We do have one new family that’s joined us recently and we’re very excited about them. We do have another family that is probably about a year and a half away from joining us. But that’s something we’ve struggled with is just having the manpower to continue to serve in the way that there’s demand for here.”
Click here to learn more about Ambassador Aviation (Mission Aviation Fellowship’s name in the country).
You can also give to support the ministry here!
Header photo courtesy of Dave LePoidevin.
