Welcome to the fifth edition of Spotlight, CMF's magazine for nurses and midwives. It's exciting to join in God's ministry and seeing a new work, a CMF nursing fellowship in the UK, being established and growing. We love to hear your feedback and stories of how CMF is helping you as Christians in your nursing and midwifery, and we long to reach, encourage and bless many more nurses and midwives. So please tell any Christian colleagues who are not yet connected with us that they are very welcome!

Another new development since the last edition of Spotlight, is that I (Pippa) have taken on the role of CMF Head of Nursing. Steve, while remaining invested in the nursing department, is also using his strengths in writing, social media and international work to greater effect.

This copy of Spotlight centres on Global Health, which we hope you will find informative and inspiring. It is always good to take time out, to step back and lift our eyes above our regular and all-too-consuming everyday work and life, and to see what the Lord is doing internationally.

So, travel with us around the globe as you read the articles in this Spotlight:

• Barbara Parfitt writes about the impact of good nurse training in poor resource settings, based on her experience of starting a nursing school in Bangladesh.
• Beth Holt writes about her midwifery experience as a young midwife who is currently serving in the Philippines.
• Steve Fouch writes about the key role that nursing has in global health and development, and how Christians can get involved.
• Ruth Tisdall shares about her recent short trip to Iraq and Lebanon, working with refugees.

Ruth is currently on CMF's International Track (I.T.), as is Claire Nicholson, a midwife in Leeds, who writes about this course. For more details visit:

cmf.org.uk/international/international-track

Finally, two other I.T. participants, Rosie and Elsie, share reviews of missional books that have encouraged them.

The Lord is at work in the world. Whether you simply want to be informed to be able to pray, or you're involved in cross cultural work in the UK, or whether you are open to nursing in a resource-poor setting yourself, we pray that the stories and articles in this edition will inform and shape your prayers.

John Piper in his book Let the Nations be Glad writes about the Christ-treasuring, all-enduring love that we can know and exhibit in our service of Jesus; this motivating love that cries out with the Psalmist 'Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy. For God is the king of all the earth' (Psalms 67:3-4; 47:7)

In Romans 1:5, Paul sums up his calling as a missionary: '(I am called) to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all nations.'

The apostle John also speaks of this Christ-honouring passion and motivation for all missionaries in 3 John 1:7 when he writes 'They have gone out for the sake of the name'.

May the Lord raise up a generation of 'world Christian nurses and midwives' who are informed, inspired, and motivated to serve him both here and internationally, willing to cross cultures, forge new works, and face challenges for the sake of his name. The wonderful and precious name of Jesus.

PS - we need to know what YOU think of Spotlight and how we could improve it - so please visit our Spotlight Readers' Survey online at bit.ly/2yPYpmv and tell us what you think of it.