Four months after a pilot delivering aid to northern Mozambique was arrested by the authorities, aviation workers and volunteers are gathering for 24-hours of non-stop prayer and fasting.
Associates of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) are calling on God to ensure the safe release of US pilot Ryan Koher and two South African NGO workers, who are being held on suspicion of aiding militants.
Mozambique has been battling an Islamist insurgency in its northern Cabo Delgado province for the past five years. The conflict has displaced over one million people and killed an estimated 4,000 others.
At the time, the 31-year old was due to deliver supplies, including food and medication to orphanages.
His wife, Annabelle, and two sons were evacuated following Ryan’s arrest, and now live at the headquarters of the Mission Aviation Fellowship in Idaho, US.
The organisation is rallying some 1,500 staff across 25 countries to take shifts over a 24-hour period of non-stop prayer and fasting.
Annabelle said: “I want to thank you all for praying and fasting for Ryan, and I’m grateful that you are encouraging others to pray too.
“I am confident that God hears our prayers as we cry out to Him.
“Please pray for Ryan’s release and that we would be reunited again soon.
“Pray also for comfort for our boys – as they may not understand why their daddy isn’t here, and may not be able to fully express their emotions at this time.
“As we read in Psalms 5:3, may we all be watching expectantly for the Lord to work, and be ready to praise Him for all He will do.”
A request for bail has so far been denied, and the family’s attempts to contact Ryan continue to fail.
At the time of the arrest, David Holsten, President and CEO of MAF in the U.S said: “Ryan Koher did nothing wrong.
“The organisation serving the orphans in northern Mozambique needs the supplies he was trying to deliver when he was wrongly detained. I urge Christians around the world to pray for Ryan’s safety and swift release and call on those in power both in Mozambique and here in the U.S. to do everything they can to resolve this wrongful detainment.”