Happy Anniversary

Today is sort of special for us.

Not just because of it being a very pleasant sunny Saturday with a calm breeze, birds twirping in the trees and the local troop of monkeys entertaining us by playing chase across our roof.

No, today, 22nd August 1994 was the day we drove to Manchester Airport to start our journey to southern Africa courtesy of a big fat KLM 747.

FIFTEEN YEARS - and we only originally came for three!

We would venture to say that it feels like a lot less – less than ten perhaps, but if we do think back we can't believe how much we've crammed into the last 15 years. Four years with the Durham LINK in Lesotho, then the years at flight school and now over six years with Mercy Air in South Africa.

There have been many ups and downs (mostly ups as we remember them) but we must give God the credit for sticking by us and leading us through the maze of life in Africa and blessing us beyond belief. After arriving in Lesotho in the middle of a military curfew in 94 we didn't for one moment ever envisage ourselves sitting here in White River doing what we're doing now.

We must also, of course, say thank you to those of you who have prayed for us and given so generously to make it possible for us to continue here.

So how are we celebrating this event? Not with any pomp and ceremony I'm afraid. This last week Paul has been busy in the office getting a lot of paperwork sorted. Cathy has been working at the rural clinic and teaching at Africa School of Missions’ School of Health. Matthew, probably blissfully unaware of the significance of the date (we will write later and remind him though), is still in Durban taking photographs.

He has done very well. He completed almost all of his formative education in Africa. From a skinny eight year old in primary school, all the way through high school to now having surpassed his parent’s academic achievements and trawled his way through university, emerging with a Degree.

The early Africa years:

Somewhere in-between:

More recently:

Unfortunately we haven't been able to scan any pics of when we first arrived but just so you can know the effect that all this has had on us:

Thank you again.

Paul, Cathy and Matthew

The other side of the coin

As we detailed recently with the landing gear incident, things don’t always go as planned.

We like to tell of how we make a difference in southern Africa and of how peoples lives are changed for the good because of the work Mercy Air does.

I was mentally formulating another blog after the phone rang last night, asking whether we were available to transfer a man with a broken leg from Beira to Maputo in Mozambique.

I went back to the office to do a quote and fax it off to the medical company in Maputo. I also had to apply for an emergency flight permit to enter Moz as well as Air Force authority to fly in South Africa, as we are in the middle of a test week for flight restrictions around the stadia that will be used for next years footy World Cup.

A whole bunch of other things needed to be sorted out. Headsets, GPS, airport fees money, sat phone, food and drinks, blankets, survival kit, check the weather etc. I did the flight planning at home whilst having my dinner.

At nine o clock we got a call that the quote had been accepted and that the flight was definitely on. That meant bigger alterations to the plane. Seats had to be removed and a stretcher fitted but all this by torch light as the hanger has no lights. All that took time but we were in bed by 11:00.

Half past five this morning I was up again – breakfast, check the weather, when just as I was leaving the house the phone rang. It was the paramedic in Maputo saying that the patient had died during the night so the flight was off. Apparently he had two broken femurs and internal bleeding. I had expected someone with a badly broken ankle so this came as quite a shock.

All dressed up with no-where to go. The 210 this morning before taking the stretcher out.

So, no dramatic story or photos of another successful mercy mission accomplished against the odds. Just a tired head and another hour spent this morning returning the plane to normal passenger use.

You get quite psyched and focused when preparing for these last minute emergency requests. But when they are called off at the last minute you can feel very flat, especially when time hasn’t even given you a chance to help. Although uncommon, it’s just another aspect of the job that usually doesn’t usually get told.

Paul and Cathy

Ministry play time

We would admit that we do get to have a fair amount of fun.

Depending on your view point, my 60 km and Cathy's 35 km mountain bike race this last weekend would prove that.

The week before though saw another opportunity for frivolity when Julian and Annie Bullen and two of their friends visited us. We arrived in Lesotho within 3 weeks of the Bullen's in 1994 to work for our respective missions and have been good friends ever since. They are currently living in Angoche way up in Mozambique working with the Koti people, but have to leave the country every three months to renew their visas.

This is where Mercy Air really comes in handy for many missionaries as we are an ideal place to stay whilst paperwork, meical visits, vehicles etc are sorted out. We are also in a good area to chill out and partake in some serious R n' R, which can be as refreshing as staying in bed all morning - I'm told!

So, we chilled in the evenings, had some meals together, chatted, prayed a little... and then we turned our eyes to the hills.

We have a friend at our church in White River who runs the local adrenalin spot called Induna Adventures, and we arranged with him for a two hour blat around the forrests on quad bikes. Considering the lifestyle in Mozambique this was a real oportunity for Julian and Annie to let their heir down - and for Cathy to tie hers up!


So, ministry? - of course. Every one needs their batterys charging somehow. Fun? - need I say more!

Paul

Big Enough For a Boeing

A Boeing landed at Mercy Air the other day.

We all rushed out to watch and it was quite an event, especially considering our airstrip is only 600m (1970 ft) long.

It managed with no problem at all in the end and actually only used less than 200m to land, stop and turn round. All this was possible due to the fact that it was a Boeing Stearman with a top speed of 120 mph and a landing speed of only50 mph.


It is here for some maintenance - so we took it apart...


Paul

African winter

Africa is normally hot, and often very hot.

Every now and then small parts of it get quite cool - almost cold.

When that happens where we live we have to take appropriate action, usually in the form of a pickup full of wood - or two, from the local sawmill.


What doesn't get consumed by the fire in an effort to keep us toasty in the evenings, often runs a danger of getting turned into something else useful.


Paul

Similar in a very different way

A recent BBC article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8179453.stm

and a interestingly similar one from this blog:

http://pcm-mercyair.blogspot.com/2009/02/would-passenger-number-3160-please.html

One of 14 that I had escape - but he was one of almost 4000.

Paul