Thanks to MAF, nurse Reena Delesae was able to get hold of a Bible.
Reena is a senior nurse at Balimo Hospital in Western Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), where the hospital is extremely short-staffed and the nurses must carefully manage the medication available because there’s a real danger of it running out.
She’s been working at the hospital for 26 years. Because challenges like these are part of everyday life in rural PNG, MAF provides places like Balimo with the help they need – flying in doctors and medicines when required.
‘MAF’, says Reena, ‘helps us with our supply when we order medicine. They also bring patients from the outstations. They’re really helpful.’
Whenever the pilots conduct medical emergency flights, or transport medicine and supplies, they also carry Bible boxes. Each box contains Bibles in different languages, glasses for those with poor eyesight, audio Bibles for villagers who cannot read, and various Christian resources.
Although being a nurse at Balimo can be hard, through reading the Bible, Reena has gained a new perspective on the difficulties facing her. She’s found a purpose in life, and experienced peace with God. ‘We run out of things like medicine and don’t have many staff,’ she explains. ‘We don’t have [permanent] doctors, just some that come in to serve for a few weeks and then go back.
‘But I know that my Lord is living. We are called and there is a purpose. I’m sharing it with my patients. Having the Bible strengthens our faith and helps us through life’s struggles.’
During a Women’s Conference at Balimo, MAF Pilot Andy Little and his wife Mif sold 177 highly subsidised Bibles in under an hour.
‘Before,’ Reena continues, ‘I didn’t realise I was lost. When I came to know the Lord, I said “Thank you, Lord, for showing me what I am to do”.
‘I was going through hardship and sickness, but God was calling me – giving me something to do with my life. I’ve been called to do that with my nursing. Called for a purpose. Called to be doing the work of the Lord.’
