The balance of caring well for their family as they serve among the Mengen people of Papua New Guinea comes with extra challenges for Simon and Annika Flanagan. Their desire is to sacrifice as a family for Gospel purposes but not sacrifice the care and shepherding their family needs whilst serving the Saviour.
Exodus 14:14 – The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Recently their eldest son, who is boarding at the mission’s school in PNG, had a bought of dizziness and nausea. The doctors at the mission clinic discovered some anomalies with his heart when they did an EKG.
The dizziness, nausea and fatigue happened because of an upper respiratory tract infection and a possible ear infection. Treatment has relieved those symptoms. They are very thankful
Praise God that doctors and nurses were able to determine that it was safe for him to join with the family back in Mengen. They will be there serving the church for another five weeks and then will take a trip to Australia for a break and further medical tests.
They are thankful to God, pilots, and the support team. After a year of their eldest two children being in boarding school, they will be together again as a family for the next year before they go on home assignment.
Prayer:
When they are in Australia it will be an opportunity for others in the family to have some medical checks that they cannot get done in PNG. Pray for all the organising and that they can get the needed paperwork in time and suitable appointments.
Pray for their hearts; this news was a shock and caused some worry and sleepless nights, but they took their fears to the Lord, please pray for peace, trust, and good health.
Pray God will use this time to grow them into a closer dependance on Christ.
Their time in Australia was supposed to be their first out of country holiday since they first started to serve in PNG. Pray there will be some time for a rest and a little fun.
Pray for Simon, Annika and family to trust God in all these plans and rely on Him.