PCM News: June 2020

18 June 2020

Zwelisha Food Drop

A few quick photos from today's food drop to Zwelisha. This was done in collaboration with Sinani, an organisation working mainly with orphaned kids in the Kabokweni area near Nelspruit.

We loaded 400kg of maize, 180 kg of tomatoes, and 64 of avocados before driving to Indigo Farm to collect 200 bags of oranges and meet the other half of the team from Sinani.

Loading at Indigo Farm

We then drove together to Zwelisha to deliver the food to the primary school.

Many hands make light work

1450kg delivered between the two vehicles

A short rest before driving back

Thank you

Paul and Cathy

08 June 2020

Masoyo Food Drop III

Cathy and I visited Masoyi for the third time to deliver 500kg of food to needy community members identified by one of our Mercy Air hospitality workers.

Cathy saying hello the elbow bump way.

Cathy and Petunia, the lady who organised the delivery

Unloading

Distribution

Grateful recipients

Thank you

Paul and Cathy

01 June 2020

After first visiting three weeks ago (9 May 20), Paul did a follow up food drop to a community about 40km away. A donor had bought 560kg of maize and asked Mercy Air to collect and then deliver it to the Masoyi Home Based Care centre near Numbi.

The ladies again very grateful...

..and eager to help with the unloading.

Thank you

Paul and 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.

PCM News

18 June 2020

Zwelisha Food Drop

08 June 2020

Masoyo Food Drop III

01 June 2020

Masoyi Food Drop II