Snippets from the Shires # 37
4th September 2015
Lord teach us to Pray
I (Carol) have been reminded recently about the importance of the amazing model of prayer Jesus taught to his
disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray as he did. The Lord’s Prayer has all we need to guide us in our
prayers – as it points first to God in reverence, worship and a seeking after what God sees as important; and then to
our needs for all that sustains life and for the forgiveness and cleansing we so often need as we come before the
Lord. It’s a relational prayer beginning ‘Our Father…’ us in relationship with others, and in relationship with God
our father; His son, our Lord Jesus through whose sacrifice we are adopted in to God’s family; and the Holy Spirit
who guides us in our prayers. We also stand in relationship with those for whom we pray. At HFA, we are often
being reminded of the necessity to seek the Lord’s help and direction in all we do.
A trip to Asia
Tim has been busy using his engineering skills in research, development and the construction of a piece of
equipment, which has recently been transported and assembled in Asia. We are grateful that the import and
assembling went well and we praise God that the system worked very well, something we have been unable to test
fully in Australia. The team member who went to install it reported that our partners are successfully using this
technology delivered by HFA to import New Testaments in to a closed country. This partner organisation have
indicated that through the use of our technology more New Testaments have been brought to isolated people in one
month alone, then in the past year or two. Another great outcome is that the New Testaments are now being
delivered to places which used to be beyond the reach of their work.
There is much to thank God for:
 A box containing the vital equipment was opened at customs but waved through by an official who showed no
interest in what he was looking at.
 An encouraging stop-over in Singapore visiting potential partners revealed people who have hearts burdened
for the unreached, and who may become key partners of our ministry.
 Over 12,000 New Testaments have been delivered over the border- in to a country closed to the Gospel- this
year already.
On the flip side
Our mission is going through challenging times in regards to resources and it has made us wonder how we can keep
going, though there is so much work waiting to be done. After much heart searching and asking God if HFA should
continue, peace came and God has reminded us to pray with conviction each day, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’
as Christ has taught us. God is always faithful and we know that reaching “those beyond reach” in our case with
aviation & technology is directly in line with the great commission. It should not be of surprise then if we encounter
opposition and this is why we so much appreciate your prayers for breakthrough! Thank you for joining us in praying
the model prayer over us and HFA.
At the Office
Besides engineering work, Tim has also spent time trying to make contact with local churches and seek opportunities
to share the needs of the unreached and inspire local Christians to both pray and be mobilised for missions. The
church’s response has been rather disappointing. However, we start to see some speaking opportunities come in as
a result of this work. Please join us to pray for lasting impact amongst the audience.
Job satisfaction.
We haven’t experienced so much job satisfaction since leaving Tanzania! It is very fulfilling to be involved in front
line work getting the gospel in to closed countries. We praise God for this opportunity to work in this team.
Family
Tim’s folks still soldier on. Dad, John is in constant pain, and after a brief activity (shopping or doing the chores at
home) he is wiped out for the rest of the day. Tim’s Mum is still recovering from surgery and awaiting the results of
a recent test to check the cancer in the liver has not returned. We feel very far away sometimes.
Carol’s Mum slipped getting in to the bus for an excursion recently and ended up in A&E as doctors worked hard to
stop the bleeding. (Phyllis has been on Warfarin for a while – praise God this was the first serious incident she’s
experienced. Her doctor has since decided to take her off the drug because of the risks.) Phyllis is also grieving over
the sudden death of her younger sister Brenda (aged 82). Brenda lived 45 minutes from their home in Drysdale.
Thank you for your partnership and prayer. Blessings, Tim and Carol
Address: 23E Brumfield Road, Healesville 3777,Victoria, Australia. Email: timandcarol.derbyshire@gmail.com