PCM News: Happy New Year

30 December 2007

Happy New Year

Hello from a reconnected South Africa.

Actually it's a reconnected USA as our mercyair.org web server in the US has been down since before Christmas till last night. This meant that we couldn't send any mail out and any mail sent to us was probably returned, so please send again if you got any of yours back.

This then will have to serve as a brief pcm New Year Update.

Well, what a year! As busy as ever - here are a few of the highlights:

Paul flew the equivalent of 1.3 times round the world.
Cathy delivered 10 babies.
Matthew finished university and got his degree - a BA in Journalism and Philosophy.

We also went to the UK for two months and snook a visit in to Switzerland whilst we were there.
It was really good catching up with so many of you and being able to share what we're doing out here. We are also really grateful to those of you who pray for, and support us (either/or of course).

Matthew's spent the last three weeks back home with us but as I type he's sitting in Jo'burg International Airport with his girlfriend waiting to catch a flight to the UK. He'll be there for only two and a half weeks so a sighting of him might be rarer than Santa. He's hoping to return to SA and work as a freelance photographer in Durban.

We're looking forward to 2008 but it does help being able to start it wearing shorts and t shirt!

Regards

Paul, Cathy, Matthew

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A short history of us

Not long after we were married we felt that God had some full time work for us overseas. This initially began with a move to Sheffield in 1992 to work for a Christian management training company. Three years later we felt the Lord's prompting that another change was imminent and this led to a move to Africa where we helped set up a youth program with the Lesotho-Durham link in the capital Maseru. An initial three year commitment turned into four after which the youth work was handed over to the nationals.

Then, after feeling God was moving us into mission flying Paul enrolled at a flying school and completed his South African commercial license with an instrument rating in December 1999.

We moved from Lesotho to White River in South Africa in June of 2003 where we now work with Mercy Air. Mercy Air was borne out of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and is a sister, although smaller organisation to the more well known Mercy Ships. We are situated near Nelspruit and provide a service to missions and the development/aid community in the southern African region but mainly serve Mozambique.

We operate four aircraft at present - a Quest Kodiak, a Cessna 310 and two Airbus 350 helicopters which are often used for the relief flights.

When not flying Paul is responsible for flight operations and is Mercy Air's Safety Officer.

Cathy, who is a registered Nurse and Midwife works part time at Africa School of Missions which is a bible college preparing missionaries for overseas service. She teaches in their School of Health and is part of a team which visits a number of rural clinics during the week. She is also helps with the hospitality ministry that Mercy Air runs.

Matthew spent four years at Rhodes University in Grahamstown where he studied photo journalism. He has now flown the nest and is living with his wife in Durban. They have a young daughter named Isabella.