Dear friends,
Will you join with us in praying for David & Gae McDonald as they head out into drought affected areas in the West of the State? The most common request from stations is that they don’t want to feel like they are going through this alone… will you pray for them and with them?
This is from David & Gae’s latest newsletter:
As you are probably aware, the drought is deepening and this is true in our area as well. We have been contacted by many churches and individuals with offers of help. Thank you for your generous hearts. With your requests in mind, we took an informal poll of a cross-section of our station people. The most common request from stations is that they don’t want to feel like they are going through this alone.
What else did they say? (summary)
- This is the worst drought in memory or at least 50 years – there are no records before that.
- This drought is many years in the making and any station run properly has several strategies. Some are better managed than others.
- All our stations are mostly artesian basin fed so no problems getting water for stock. Some homesteads rely on rainwater though. No pasture or crop irrigation.
- Supplementary fodder is very limited so when an outside group swoop in and buy up bales, it puts the price up for everyone else and stock feed may need to be sourced further away at a higher price.
What are we going to do differently due to the drought?
Besides being more sensitive to their needs, we will be doing what PIM has always done. Most importantly we will be letting them know that they are not alone – Jesus is with them with every step. We are also close at hand.
- Listening to and praying with people.
- Sharing the Gospel – that is filled with hope, love, truth and salvation.
- Helping out where we can
- Being an advocate where needed
- Keeping an eye on mental and physical health of outback people
- Financially supporting those with emergency needs e.g. in SA we gave $2 000 to a station who had no more money to feed the orphan calves (mothers died after eating poison weeds – in desperation). The money was enough to see the calves mature enough to not need the powdered milk. That money was donated by a couple from a coastal church. PIM have some funds that all PIM teams can access to help people in desperate need.
We attended a meeting with local government, state government and station people who appreciated our support. We were glad to hear that the financial and mental health counsellors were being well used. No stigma attached (at least on the surface). A financial package has been released and other resources made available.”
David & Gae suggest we pray that:
- in good times and times of distress we will turn to Jesus.
- He will sustain His people in their time of trial – drought or otherwise
- those who don’t know Jesus will feel His call on their life
- we are all faithful in living out the Gospel
- pray for RAIN
To sign up as a Prayer Partner click here
Kind regards,
Liz McClean