PCM News: March 2011

17 March 2011

Cathy at Africa School of Missions

Cathy has started a new year at Africa School of Missions. This year they have ten nursing students, nine ladies and one guy, who will be looking to work in government hospitals or clinics when they finish their training.

Cathy's in the middle.

When not teaching Cathy works at the fixed clinic on ASM's property. Monday's are by far the busiest day when they see most patients, many of whom are extremely ill. The first mobile clinic was run in January and was very hot and long with a large number of patients.

Last year God really moved during the devotional times before the clinic starts and week by week they saw people either recommitting their lives, or making first time decisions. Unfortunately there isn't a good local church to refer new people to, which has been a concern for quite a while but it seems that ASM staff, together with some students will start a church plant on the farm.

Cathy leading one of the morning devotional sessions at which 7 people made first time commitments.

Please pray with us for the following:

That the students would cope well acedemically and would continue to grow spiritually.
That the Lord will continue to reach the lost through the ministry of the clinics.
That ASM could establish a church on the farm where the mobile clinic visits.
That the Lord would provide abundantly for the clinics, nursing school and ASM this year.

Cathy and Paul

07 March 2011

Mid life crisis

It would seem obvious that aircraft parts have a life limit whether it be a date (like a sell by date for food), a set number of flight hours or cycles (how many times an engine has been started and stopped or the landing gear retracted).

Turns out that various parts of planes also have a 'mid life', and although not a crisis as such, they are still required to be checked and have any necessary maintenance done. This is the case at present for the propellers on two of our aircraft.

There is something rather forlorn and abandoned looking about a plane without a prop, but it will only be for a short while. The props have been taken to Jo'burg to be checked and will be back in about a week and a half.

Paul & Cathy

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.