“He who promised is faithful” Hebrews 9:23
Alfred (right) sharing the gospel at the cattle market
With the Lord
Dear friends,
We are sad, but not without hope, in sharing the news that a dear friend and brother, hospital evangelist Alfred Ndrenasoa, died last week. He was 58. Recently he developed pancreatic cancer which progressed rapidly.
For the past twelve years he has faithfully proclaimed the gospel to countless patients and their families, as well as going to many villages and towns of the district with the eye team and the community health team and sometimes alone. He has also been a leader in the local church in the village next to the hospital.
Alfred (middle) speaking to men in the hospital out-patients
He leaves his wife and seven children, most of whom are still school age. Please pray for the family that in their grief they may all know the hope of the gospel. And pray that the Lord may provide for them in the days ahead. His passing will be a real loss to the hospital – he was a quiet, humble man, who loved to tell people of the Jesus who had saved him from a pagan past. He had a very gracious manner in speaking with the sick and needy, but he explained the gospel clearly.
Please pray for the remaining two evangelists, Issidore and Berthon. And pray for all those who heard the gospel through Alfred’s lips or received gospel tracts from him – he must have distributed many thousands over the course of the years.
Covid-19
Recently one of the hospital nurses had mild respiratory symptoms and was sent to the government hospital where she tested positive for Corona virus. She was sent to isolate at home. Her contacts in the hospital should have been tested, but no further tests were available. Thankfully none of them has developed symptoms and three other personnel who have been tested since then were all negative. The safety measures were intensified everywhere in the hospital – hand-washing, masks and disinfection of working surfaces 3 times a day. The initial triage of patients arriving at the hospital is working well and anyone with suspicious symptoms or signs is sent immediately to the government hospital which is the local Covid centre. Please pray especially for Dr Nathan Lawrence who is the one overseeing the Corona virus situation at the Good News Hospital.
There are no signs yet when international flights will resume to allow new missionaries and short-term helpers to arrive, or existing missionaries to come home on leave. Please continue to pray for God’s hand on the whole situation, for peace and strength for all those working in the hospital and for the gospel witness at this time.
Lydia Longstaff
More Surgical Help – News from Lydia
Hello, my name is Lydia Longstaff and I am planning to come out to Mandritsara for 6months to volunteer as a General Surgeon. Originally from London, I did my Medical training in the North East of England, before moving south for my Surgical specialty training. I currently work as a General Surgical Registrar in the NHS, based in the South of England. I am currently living in Salisbury.
For many years I have held a deep hope to serve the Lord as a missionary surgeon and am so excited and thankful to be in a position to do so in Madagascar! I believe that God has created - and continues to create - in me a heart for combining the transformation, restoration and hope of good surgical care with the transformation, restoration and hope of the Gospel. I believe that God calls us to love and serve - declaring truth alongside demonstrating compassion - and I am humbled to be part of His heart and purposes in Mandritsara.
I first heard of Hopitaly Vaovao Mahafaly through friends when I spent some months in Madagascar 5years ago (on Mercy Ships). More recently, a contact of a contact put me in touch with Ted Watts and the plan for me to come out to Mandritsara began to form. I will be working as part of the surgical team, serving together the patients and colleagues at the hospital, as well as learning with and from them. I was planning to be coming out in October 2020, but with the disruption due to Coronavirus, this may now need to be delayed until April 2021. Please do pray for the team in Mandritsara, for God's continued faithful provision to be seen, and for me to trust in the Lord's unfailing and unwavering love in my waiting. Pray that I will be assured that God is the sure foundation for my times (Isaiah 33:6), and that I will “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Thank you!
Hulde, Tadeo’s mother
Tadeo
Hulde is a theatre nurse who trained at the hospital. She is married to Theodile who works in the Community Health team. They met at the hospital and are both fervent Christians. They have two children, a girl Eodia, and a boy, Tadeo who is 2. Tadeo has been diagnosed with leukaemia (AML) and is in the capital, Tana, with his mother, under the care of the paediatric oncology department in the best hospital there. Theodile and Eodia are in Mandritsara. Please pray for this lovely little family that the Lord may help them through this huge trial, may bless their witness and may restore Tadeo to health.
Northern Prayer Afternoon
This was planned to be held in Chester, and Cathy and Louise, the two nurses, were planning to be home to take part – it would have been in Cathy’s church. However, as with most events at present, it has been decided that it should take place online via Zoom. It will be from 2 to 4pm on Saturday 12th September.
URGENT PRAYER UPDATE - 2nd September
We have just heard from Hilde, our Belgian nurse and missionary team leader in Mandritsara, that she has tested positive for coronavirus yesterday. She had symptoms of flu, raised temperature, slight cough and loss of smell, but is not seriously ill at this stage. She is staying at home – she lives in a house in town that she shares with Dr Hanitra, the eye surgeon. She says “I am the 3rd positive case in the project. Probably just the tip of the iceberg. The three of us were never very ill, praise God. Thank you especially for praying for Nathan who constantly has to make difficult decisions. That he may have the wisdom to deal with these circumstances. Hanitra will have a test later this week, when tests are again available. Meanwhile, the doctor's team is trying to decide whether it would be better to keep Hanitra also in isolation. We can thank the Lord that there is a big sense of solidarity between doctors and nurses and other co-workers in view of the pandemic and all the inconveniences that come with it.”
Thank you for your ongoing prayers.
With love in the Lord,
David and Jane