Farm Team - Family

As the end of the year draws approaches, today is an important day on the Mercy Air Farm. It is the last working day of the year for our team, those who make the farm function all year round. Today the mowers, tractors, furniture polish, washing machines, plumbing rods and spanners are put to rest for my team. The tools are laid up in our ongoing new farm workshop. It you have visited the farm they will have made your bed, cut the grass, cleaned the kitchens, attended the gardens. If you have landed here, they will have mowed the landing strip, cleaned the hangers and washed the planes. If you are one of our partners they will have assisted in getting one of our helicopters or planes ready to come to you. If you were in Mozambique during cyclone Idai, you will not have meet them. But they were working hard on the farm to maintain as much normality here as possible so life saving activities and service could go on out in the field.

Mercy Air Farm Team

This is the team that has painted rooms, cleared gutters and unblocked your poo to many times! They are part of the Mercy Air team here on the farm who meet twice a week to pray and share Gods word, praying for ourselves and our partners in the work of the kingdom. They and we are a diverse bunch like many families.

Mercy Air Runway 

As we have drawn to a close this year I have been exploring what the bible has been saying to me and maybe to  us. I was firstly challenged by Matthew 12:46-50 and his recording of Jesus view on family.  The disciples come to Jesus in the midst of a busy day and they tell Jesus that his own mother and brothers are here, implying they are needing his attention and time. And Jesus replies with a question, who is my mother? and who are my brothers? Perhaps Matthew and Jesus maybe redefining what family is when you begin that walk to follow Jesus. I have asked myself the question who here in Africa who is my family?

I have left my family in England to follow Gods initiation and call. Our Farm Team leave their family every day to join another family here at Mercy Air. Maybe God is saying to me and us 'I have given you a new family, don’t ignore the old one, but value the new one. It seems Jesus did not have work colleagues but more family. Is Jesus asking us to see the Kingdom in the people we work with and alongside as family?  

At the end of this year as we broke bread and shared wine together I was reminded of the new family God has placed me into and also the responsibility we have to each other.

an image i have of my workshop on the farm

Like St Paul, I thank God in my prayers... for my distant family and my new one. Please keep us all in you prayers in 2020. As we explore what t means to be family in times of change and that we may continue to love and serve each other valuing each member of the family God has given us.