PCM News: Here's one for all you digit heads

02 January 2010

Here's one for all you digit heads - so just Paul really...

Just about the only exercise Cathy and I get these days revolves around two wheels (joke), and we try to get out at least three times a week before work A careful list of all bike rides and races is kept and last year's biking achievements were as follows:

Total distance 4350 km (2704 miles) - which is 12 km a day.

Not too much to shout about but that also included:

69064m (226588 ft) or 43 miles of ascent.
This is equivalent to cycling up Everest almost 8 times or up Snowdon 64 times.

All this took a total time of 235 hrs or just under 10 full days - ouch!

Sometimes it rains...

and sometimes it it doesn't...

but whether the weather be fine, or whether the weather be not, whatever the weather we've got to put up with the weather we've got!

Not to worry, the clock has now started ticking on the new year and we'll have to see how much puffing and panting can be achieved in the next twelve months between flights.

Talking of which... Paul's next flight is on Monday 4th January, picking a group up from Jhb and dropping them on the Moz/Zim border. On the 8th (his birthday) he will collect them in Botswana and take them up to Victoria Falls for the night for a spot of sightseeing. Not a bad birthday present but pitty the plane is full and that Cathy could not come.

Cathy has an ever increasing diary of potential deliveries in January and Matthew has some weddings lined up to photograph in the next few months also.

P n' C

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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.