Sometimes the fastest way to run uphill is to walk

We all want things done now. Not tomorrow or next week, but now. We are probably tired of hearing about how our culture ‘these days’ expects things instantly: fast food, music and TV on demand, and can your internet ever really be fast enough?

Pre-flight checks

I love running, especially far, and in the mountains. In fact, I have a race coming up just this week in Lesotho. It’s a 50km mountain trail race, but let’s just call it a ‘run,’ as the only person I am racing against is myself. The aim of mountain running is to move as quickly and efficiently as possible. Some people ask me ‘on a 50km race, do you ever walk?’ After an embarrassed laugh, I usually answer, ‘the question is “do I ever run?”’ The thing is, sometimes the fastest way to safely and effectively reach your goal is to take it slow, efficiently and deliberately. If you get your head down and keep a slow to moderate pace, before you know it you’ll be there.

Our first airstrip for the day, Nohana

I mention this idea because thats what I’ve been feeling over the past few months, as I slowly chip away at flight training here in Lesotho. It hasn’t been fast, and there’s a good reason for this: For me to get fully signed out as a safe and effective MAF pilot in Lesotho, its a process, and not a simple checking of the boxes.

I started with local flights around Maseru, working at making the airplane more of an extension of my body before taking it into the mountains. Then, our chief pilot Bryan and I headed out for an overnight mountain checkout session. The majority of our airstrips here require new pilots to practice at them with an instructor on board, to ensure we understand every intricacy of them before going at it alone. We had a successful time, and managed to get 7 airstrips completed, after sweating it out doing landings, aborts and emergencies until I dreamed about them.

One of the reasons we don’t rush this process is because a key element to our safety structure is something along the lines of ‘If you are unsure about something, then don’t do it.’ If you have doubts about the wind conditions and your ability to handle it then don’t go do it. If you have a doubt that the airplane is 100% set up to land during your final approach then back off, get out of there and try it again.

So, pretty soon I will get to start operating to those 7 airstrips. Building experience and confidence, and then slowly we will add on more airstrips, little by little.

Waiting out some storms at Kuebunyane

Sometimes it’s hard to not rush ahead and try and advance faster. Saying ‘no’ when the weather is marginal isn’t fun, or deciding to not land and collect a sick patient because the conditions aren’t safe, is a hard thing to do. Ultimately it means we can go out next time and try it again, day after day and year after year.

We couldn’t be effective in our mission here if we were unsafe, and to be safe, you have to take it slow. Like I said, the fastest way to run uphill is to walk.

July 2018 Update

As many of you know, our family started 2018 by spending a few months in the USA, doing training with Mission Aviation Fellowship and raising support for our ministry here in Lesotho.

One of Jane's friends at Pulane Children's Centre 

We would like to take a few minutes to update you all on what we are up to.

In April we returned to Lesotho, and spent some time at Pulane Children’s Centre. Our role at the Centre these days is to provide oversight, help with solving some larger problems, and providing direction for the future of the Centre. It was great to have some time seeing the kids and staff who we have been showing off in presentations over the last few months. Since we left, 5 new children have come into the Centre. Three of them are in our preschool group and two are primary school-age. They are all doing well, whether it is as part of the soccer team, collecting firewood, or posing for pictures, each of them is now at home in our PCC family.

Emily and Jane in the yard of our Maseru house

From there, we made to move from the quiet mountains, to the bustling city of Maseru and into the house that we will call home as we settle in with MAF. The change of pace from rural to city life is something to get used to, but we are very excited about the house we have, and the new opportunities ahead.

Thanks to the very kind contributions from many of you, we were able to reach our 80% of our target and started with MAF Lesotho on June 1st! Our support process is ongoing, and we will continue our support-raising efforts here ‘in the field’.

Getting some right hand seat observation flights in 

Over the next few months we will be focusing on language classes, spending time learning Sesotho more formally. Although we have lived in Lesotho, we have never studied the language in-depth. In our role with MAF we will need a good foundation and understanding of the local language. The role that Grant plays, transporting critical patients and spending one-on-one time with people in the mountains, means that language skills are a necessity. Emily will be learning the ins and outs of what it means to be the primary director of the Children’s Centre, and looks forward to being able to communicate more with the kids and staff.

The path to get to MAF has been a long one, and we sometimes still can’t believe we are here and Grant’s job title says ‘MAF Pilot.’ We are so excited, and can’t wait to update you in the months ahead.

One job takes many forms

Running man

Sello and I with his new shoes

Recently I’ve been exploring the city, looking for good running routes. One afternoon I found myself on a quiet road where I saw a young man, also in running gear. He stood on a corner with a huge smile, tiny legs, and a pair of broken sunglasses jammed on his face. I politely said ‘Hi’ as I ran past, half in my own world as I listened to yet another ’Stuff You Should Know’ podcast.

Thirty seconds later a blur of a legs and running shoes flew past me. It was the same young man. As it turned out he was doing his speed work on that road, and we stopped to talk.

Since meeting Sello that day, I learned that he is from the northern part of Lesotho and came to Maseru to focus on running competitively. He is passionate about it, and whenever he talks about future races he gets so excited trying to explain how fast he hopes he can go. Talking with him is not only good for my Sesotho practice, but a great way to learn more about the Basotho (people from Lesotho) city culture, and the dreams of some young men. I have been able to pass down to him some of my old running gear, and we meet regularly to talk about training, and nutrition and things like that. He even comes to work in our garden to earn money for hydration supplements. I love seeing Sello’s focus and passion for running. And our family looks forward to developing a better friendship with him.

Young boys

One Friday during the last month, we put 3 mattresses down in our living room, made them comfortable with some blankets, and prepared to host 2 children and a staff member from Pulane Children’s Centre. The two children needed a consult from a very specialized doctor, who is only available certain times of the month, and only in Maseru. With us living here now, we were able to make the appointment and host the boys, so they could receive the care they needed from this doctor.

Loving the dinner at Spur

But for us, the visit wasn’t just about getting them to a doctor. In fact, the one boy, who has a troubled past, needs more than just one consult from a doctor. As we found out, he really needs people in his life who care for him, and who won’t give up on him.

During their visit we were able to take them to the mall, and have a special dinner at a restaurant with a play area and fun food they have never seen before. They even got to ride an elevator and escalator for the first time in their lives! More importantly, for 24 hours, they got to be the center of attention.

For Emily, in particular, sharing our home with our PCC family is a special joy and something she looks forward to doing frequently in the future.

Emergency flight

Bryan helping the patient

That same weekend, on Sunday afternoon, I got a call from the on-call MAF pilot. He lives just up the road from us, and got an emergency call out to go to Qachas Nek (in the southeast corner of Lesotho) and bring a critical patient to the main hospital. He asked if I wanted to ride along, to begin the learning process of how these medical flights work.

We rushed to the airport, got airborne as soon as possible, and made it to Qachas Nek within an hour of leaving the house. This journey takes a full day by road. We loaded the young girl, who had been injured in a fire, onto a stretcher and into the plane. Then we headed back with the setting sun to Maseru, where an ambulance was waiting to take her to the hospital. The speed and proficiency that I observed during that flight revealed how much learning is ahead in the next months. It was great to be there, to help out, and see first hand what a difference these medical flights can make.

Different ministries, one mission

As I pieced together these three stories that stand out to me this month, it occurred to me that our role here as an MAF family is multi-faceted. Like believers the world over, we get to show others what we believe God’s Kingdom is like. Our job isn’t only to fly but rather to be here: building relationships, helping where we can, and using what we have been given to assist those around us.