Bridging the Gap

Recently Mercy Air's collaboration with ASAM in Mozambique continued as plans were drawn up to construct a much needed bridge.

'Crocodile Dundee' aka Rick Neufeld with the community team and a 2 metre crocodile.

Over the past few weeks amazing developments have taken place. Besides our own 'Crocodile Dundee' (aka Rick Neufeld) killing one crocodile with support from the local community, significant progress has been made to make this 57 metre suspension bridge a reality. Besides providing a safe way to cross the crocodile-infested river (and there are many of them), this bridge will ensure that 3 communities have access to school all year round, even when the river is flooded and impossible to cross. It will also provide safe all-year round access to the health clinic, the grinding mill and the new library being built at our local school.

To date, even without knowing the cost of this project, 11 individuals, 3 churches and 1 business have generously donated over $27,000.00! We roughly estimated around $30,000 for the project but due to inflation since the company who gave us the quote built the last bridge, as well as due to import duties of the materials into Mozambique, a fairly realistic costing is now $46,000.00. We do have a few additional pledges already from people who want to be a part of making this happen, and we are confident this project is both vitally important and achievable, so we are going ahead!

From right to left: Tony, Allan, Sjaak, and Dwight.

This week Allan Luus who is an engineer and CEO of Mercy Air, flew up to the mission in central Mozambique to bring plans and do a site visit to further assess the realities we are facing to get this done. Sjaak Walhout, a Dutch pilot missionary who owns his own RV experimental aircraft (otherwise known as a pocket rocket… for its over 160 Kt airspeed on 29 liters an hour!), volunteered to fly Allan up. After clearing into the country, they flew into the mission airstrip.

After a much needed quick lunch, they headed straight to the bridge site.

The engineer sweating it out on site! Thanks Allan.

School children and community members helping to clear the site for the planting of markers.

By the time they assessed the first location and then crossed the river to the far side location, they were sweating! A white engineer with his shirt off got a few comments from the local school boys, but very soon they settled down to helping with some of the clearing. Markers were installed, measurements were taken and any local conditions related to the design were jotted down. By night-fall they were back at the mission to enjoy a meal together and a quick review of the days’ work.

Going over the plan and costing.

Early the next morning while Sjaak and Andy fueled the little RV, Allan and Dwight reviewed plans and likely costing as well as any items needed to each follow-up on until the next site visit. Then the little RV fired up and blasted off into the deep blue sky! They were reminded again of how every step in progress at the mission opens doors for other significant progress and new chances to demonstrate God’s never failing love for the people He cares so deeply for!

Children crossing the river with other smaller children on their backs.

A team is now clearing the foundation locations and concrete, stone and sand will be transported to the site and somehow hauled to the other side of the river as well. In the meantime the plan will be tweaked and the final materials order made up for preparation and shipping.

Anxious community members already have the area cleared!

Thank you for your interest, generosity and prayer to make this amazing project a reality.

ASAM and Mercy Air team

Education Days In Mozambique

This post compliments our 'To Chimoio - but not quite beyond' entry and was written by Lynn Lagore from ASAM Ministries
 
Over the past few weeks, we have had the privilege of receiving a number of short term mission guests. Among them was a team from Mercy Air, South Africa. Anne Herbert, one of Mercy Air’s team members, has provided much help and support to our student remedial education effort over the years already. She was able to accompany the current team and dedicate her time here to helping train mission staff members in student assessment and basic literacy and numeracy activities.

This will help us strengthen our students’ foundation in reading, maths, and learning in general, all so critical as they grow and as their minds develop!

Staff members who will monitor student progress and provide encouragement and instruction to students got plenty of fun, hands-on training.

Children from the community close to ASAM as well as some of the teenage mothers enjoyed a full afternoon of fun, games, activities and LEARNING – divided into early literacy, numeracy and physical activities.

Children were blessed with sweets that had been sent in a container from Mercy Air Sweden thanks to the hard work of Camilla and family to cap the afternoons activities. The following day parents wanted to know if this would happen on a more regular basis where there children could LEARN

Thankfully, there is no age restriction on learning.

A session was also conducted for general staff members who are fathers, husbands, and heads of their homes. It was heart warming to see their enthusiasm to learn in anticipation of being able to help their families, and others, learn better as well!

Lynn reported after devotions the next day that the guys were so excited about the class Anne did with them that the next morning at devotions they talked about it with everyone and asked if that was the end of it? So Lynn assured him it was not! Lynn with the help of Rick another team member, plan to continue starting Monday afternoon.

Apparently one of the shepherds who was there, Elia, went up to the airstrip with Andy (another team member at ASAM) and was excitedly reading the numbers on Andy's radio. This came up during staff meeting and was so heart warming time for everyone to hear, especially me and I know now for you too. These guys have realised THEY CAN LEARN!

Then today I was reviewing the commitment agreements we've had the external students' parents and students. As they had to sign the form I realised yet again (sadly), how many of the parents could only sign with an "x" or just a scribble.

This reminds me of the tremendous change even a bit of learning makes in the life of an individual. My heart’s desire is to sit down with each of these parents and teach them to read and write. As we work together on this, with help from Mercy Air and their wing of 'Education to Build a Nation', this no longer feels like an impossibility. It can become a reality.

Thank you

Mercy Air and ASAM teams

To Chimoio - but not quite beyond

The last few weeks have seen us preparing for another trip in the Kodiak to ASAM near Chimoio in Mozambique. In many aspects it was almost run of the mill but at the same time there were a few firsts we hoped to achieve.

It was the first time we had been able to fly from our local international airport directly to Chimoio as they had the Jet A1 fuel the Kodiak burns. This avoided having to route via Beira on the coast costing us time and money. It was also to be the first time we could continue on and land at the newly opened airstrip at ASAM only 30 miles further on from Chimoio. Although we had a DCA flight permit we were not allowed to do so 'due to the continuing political unrest in the country'. This was quite a surprise and a disappointment as it would of closed a large circle spanning many years of joint planning and preparation on behalf of Mercy Air and ASAM.

We would have liked to of landed here...

..and left the plane in here.

Now we have a larger plane we can take more people and more stuff and on this trip there were a number of different functions we were fulfilling. The main one was to transport Rick Cogbill, the founder of Mercy Tech Missions who had flown with us many times in previous years. He had set up an auto maintenance facility at ASAM and wanted to transport the last few items he needed to complete the task. Rick has a natty little blog at:
http://mydustyshoes.blogspot.com/2014/02/week-one-arriving.html
so I won't steal any of his thunder as you can read his side of the story by clicking on the link above.

The Kodiak is huge and true to form Rick tried to load as much into it as he could, almost to the point that we were threatening to ban breakfast in the morning due to weight restrictions.

There was also a couple visiting from Birmingham in the UK and we wanted to take them to Moz to see what we do. Nigel is a vicar by trade but used to be a fire engine mechanic back in the day so him and Rick had plenty to talk about.

Being in the ministerial way Nigel was happy to give a talk at the morning devotions.

The one morning just as we started, so did the rain, and we all quickly relocated to Rick's new workshop where Nigel used the inspection pit to good effect.

The inspection pit of baptism - one day

Another aspect of the whole trip was Education. Mercy Air has been working together with YWAM to develop the 'Classroom in a Box' concept and Anne Herbert from Mercy Air also accompanied us and spent her time helping to train mission staff members in student assessment and basic literacy and numeracy activities.

This also included a visit to a bush school ASAM had set up many years ago to share the concepts with the teachers.

Teaching the teachers

Our arrival at the school was quite the event and all the kids were waiting to wave us in with branches.

Then they sang the national anthem and visitors who were spectators...

...soon became participants in games...

...much to the appreciation of all involved.

Because of the recent rains there were only about a quarter of the kids at school that day as the others couldn't cross the swollen river. We were able to do a teaching event to all the kids in one classroom...

...before lunch. First the drinking and hand washing water had to be collected from - quite a way aways apparently...

...before we helped dish up...

...and serve.

The kids walk up to 8 km to attend the school and this is likely the only proper food these kids will get on any particular day.

The food is cooked on an open fire...

...and served till it is all gone.

On the way back we stopped to by bread, but it was only just being made...

...in an oven powered by large trees.

We also visited a family who had four sets of twins.

Back at ASAM Nigel and Paul continued helping Rick with a few things in the workshop.

A work bench in the making

Became a work bench in situ

And then a work bench in action as Rick used it to teach some electrical motor maintenance

Meanwhile the shop received it's first vehicle for a clutch change and other adjustments.

A tool box we bought up gets its first outing

Nigel inspected one of the centres generators.

And gave some non verbal feedback on the electrical distribution facility.

Anne continued with assessments for some of the ASAM staff

While Cathy did an impromptu consultation for a mother who had some infant feeding issues

After what seemed like a whirlwind tour - especially considering the two nights of violent thunder and hoofing down rain, we drove back to Chimoio and headed home.

The Rio Save from 12000 ft.

We had some 'weather' on the way up and particularly on the way back down but the radar, storm-scope and approach and arrival equipment on the aircraft's Garmin GPS worked flawlessly.

Arriving back in South Africa

Thank you

Mercy Air team

To Infinity (and back on a big plane)

A year ago Mercy Air was generously given a Piper Seneca III which we used quite extensively during 2013. The plan from the start though was to sell it and use some of the money to replace one of the engines on our Cessna 310.

Late last year a buyer was found and the process started to ferry the plane to its new home. Turns out the buyer was an airline pilot from Kenya which is four big African countries away from where we are. A trip that even cruising at 300 kph would take two days. We had hoped this would happen in November but paperwork delays meant that in order to deliver it in the 2013 calendar year, we had to travel on 30th and 31st December.

The weather for the days we flew

Due to the weather we had to pre-position the plane at the local international airport a few days prior to the flight and the day we left (at 05:30) the weather wasn't very good at all. In fact we were in cloud and rain for the first hour but then, a bright spot and even a glimpse of the sun and then, blue sky and a requirement for sunglasses.

The obligatory in flight shot.

So apart from the initial clag the first four hour leg from Nelspruit to Blantyre, Malawi was quite uneventful. The turnaround at Blantyre was quick and we were only on the ground for an hour before pointing ourselves north again and setting sail for Dodoma in Tanzania, another four hours away.

We flew along almost all of the eastern shore of Lake Malawi which is huge and equivalent the distance between London to Glasgow.

The Cape McClear Peninsula at the bottom of Lake Malawi

Just as we crossed the border into Tanzania the clouds got a bit more organised and we had to do a bit of dodging.

It's hard to get the scale here but even at 13000 ft many were still towering way above us and the tops were rolling around like naughty boys fighting under a blanket.

Eventually they gave way to a more predictable pattern and we arrived at Dodoma and landed at the airstrip in the middle of town.

Some of the MAF guys had graciously made themselves available during the Christmas break and put us up in a house on their compound which had a swimming pool. Turns out this is an excellent idea in a hot and dusty place.

On the last day of the year we took off for the last time to complete the last Mercy Air flight in the Seneca. Despite this it was still the first time we had flown at 13000 ft and had higher terrain showing on the GPS - the orange and red in the picture below.

This was Kilimanjaro and Meru Peak which were safely about 65 miles away.

What it looked like out of the window.

Kilimanjaro seemingly floating above the vast African plains

How to pass the time on long flights - take another selfie

The last landing followed all the other lasts and the aircraft was delivered to its new owner at Wilson Airport, Nairobi.

Turns out he was still busy with his own day job on New Years Eve but invited us to fly jump seat on his Dash 8-100 that afternoon.

Call it a bus-man's holiday but despite over 10 hours in a little plane the previous two days we jumped at the chance.

We flew down to the coast just south of Mombasa

And back!

We spent a few days in Nairobi while the plane got checked out and the Kenyan paperwork and bank transfer were completed. Then we boarded a half full Kenyan Airways 737-800 for a less than exciting four hour flight back to Johannesburg.

So, our little adventure involved 1770 miles (2850 km) which is enough to get you from London to well past Moscow or very almost from the UK to Canada.

Thank you

Mercy Air team