News and updates from Paul and Cathy Middleton, serving in southern Africa.

30 November 2009

Mercy Air no longer a teenager!

Wow, what a week that was.

Numerous times in the Bible the Israelite's were told to remember what God had done for them. If they couldn't remember they were to ask their fathers and the old people - but they weren't to forget. Looking back is more than just nostalgia. Cathy and I get as much encouragement from relating our testimony of how we got to where we are, as the people we tell it to.

As part of Mercy Air's 20th celebration we decided that we too should also look back, as much to share and understand our corporate identity with people, like us, who have joined Mercy Air comparatively recently.

We set aside a week and invited many of the people who were instrumental in Mercy Air's birth from Europe and the US as well as missions that have joined us in our work and people that have benefited from our ministry over the years.

Everybody got a chance to tell their story of how God led them to be involved with Mercy Air.

Some of the staff prepared audio visual presentations from old scanned photos to help us remember how each aircraft came our way, how the hospitality ministry started and how the farm came to be ours.

Some evenings we finished with a meal together outside which left plenty of time to catch up with each other and those visitors we hadn't seen for a while.

At the end of the week we had an open day ...

and offered flights to people from the local community as well as some of the Africans and their families that work on the farm with us.

We finished off with a short service in one of the hangers.

Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a memorable and very worthwhile week. Here's to 20 more years.

18 November 2009

The Long and Short of it

Paul did a long short trip last week.
The flight only took two days but covered 1700 miles (2700 km).


He was up there last week to collect a family who had worked in Cuamba, N. Moz for the past eight years, but who were now returning to Australia.

Having Mercy Air pick them up saved them a 10 hr Land Rover trip, a border crossing, two nights in a 'hotel', and numerous internal domestic flights - all for about the same cost.

They also spent five nights staying with us on the farm and were able to go to Kruger Park for a day - during which they saw loads of stuff apparently.

We had both been to Cuamba in 2005 and, being a military airfield, were kept waiting over an hour after landing whilst officials 'checked' the paperwork. This time however, there were no such problems and the military didn't bother us at all - except for the payment of over inflated landing and parking fees as well as navigation fees, despite there not having been anyone in the tower for years.

The weather was good on the way up, and back down the next day, which was just as well as it's been really grim ever since.

Praying before leaving.

Well on our way.

Paul

07 November 2009

Not quite the Iron Man - more the Tin Man!

Another attempt at a full body work out at a local triathlon with about 40 other competitors.

Paul's energy conserving breast stroke ensured he was second last out of the lake, narrowly beating a 10 year old boy.


Then there was a bit of biking which he did a bit better at...


Followed by a little run...


All this effort won him a water bottle and a pair of socks for second placed veteran, although we're not sure there was a ever a third!

P n' C