PCM News: MAF/Flying for Life Limpopo Mar 2020

15 March 2020

MAF/Flying for Life Limpopo Mar 2020

Last week Mercy Air once again took a MAF/Flying for Life team up to the Vhembe district in Limpopo.

We were off just before dawn and got to Jhb to pick the team up, just after 06:30

On the way up

Arriving at Tshikondeni

Cathy got busy in the clinic...

..with women's health and did quite a number of pap smears from young mothers...

..to this 80 year old lady...

..and even one old granny of 94!

The clinic's wheelchairs were interesting!

The dental team went to the primary school where that had screened kids there last time we were here. They were able to give them some attention as well as share some thought on dental hygiene from the back of the mobile dental unit. Maybe simple and obvious things to us, but something that often doesn't reach the rural areas quite so easily.

The last group went to the disability centre and did some skills ytraining with the kids.

They really enjoyed it and were happy to have their photos taken with their creations when we all met up there at the end of the day.

The disability centre have a good vision, but have some challenges in meeting it at times.

Then it was an hour's drive back to the airstrip for the flight home.

Thank you

Paul and Cathy

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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.