In the space of a few weeks, the weather went from being hot to cold. My view out of the airplane window quickly went from bright green, to a more rugged looking dark green and brown. As I drove past the coal supplier to place an order, I realized that one year ago, with similar cool weather creeping in and a garden filled with dropping leaves, we moved into our Maseru house.

It seems crazy to have already been at MAF Lesotho a year. The past year has been filled with learning and growing for Emily, myself and Jane. Each of us has had to adapt to our new roles, and as we reach the one year mark, we are so happy to be content in these roles.

One of the nurses doing a good job on an emergency pick up

We are challenged daily. I like to go through the mental list of our airstrips and try and figure out which is the hardest. It’s a fun exercise, because it’s tough to think of one that doesn’t have its own unique challenge, and I have concluded that the hardest one is whichever one I am landing at next. This feels like a reflection of what life is. We are content, much like I am in the seat of the airplane, but we are always challenged to face the next big thing. And with the right approach and focus, we are able to keep handling things well. That is our prayer.

Pulane Children's Centre boys having fun

Emily continues to do a great job leading and directing the staff at Pulane Children’s Centre. With her own strengths of caring and a desire for the children’s best interests, she leads with passion and love. I see how this rubs off on the staff who work there, as they reflect more and more a deeper sense of what PCC is all about. Emily visits every 6 weeks or so, often going alone in our 4x4 truck (the fierce and independent woman she is), over roads that sometimes get washed away. I am always proud of the great job she is doing there. Once again, while challenged by the work daily, she keeps faithfully pressing forward to keep PCC going strong. Be sure to see details of the PCC happenings here.

As Jane nears the end of her first year at preschool outside of Pulane Children’s Centre, she continues to keep us amused, proud and thankful. As a 4 year old, her interests change on a weekly basis, most recently shifting towards Wonder Woman, and a whole array of her own made up superheroes, including ‘Duck Lady,’ and ‘Butterfly Girl.’

I keep pretty busy with flying. As a non-mechanic (the other pilots on our team are dual pilot-mechanics), I often am able to pick up some extra flights, which allows the other guys the time they need to focus on maintenance. I am more than happy to do this of course, and usually say something like “Oh ok, I guess I’ll fly all of this week if I really have to.” I love every flight I get to do, and it never ceases to amaze me what a beautiful country this is.

And so, as winter draws near, we look forward to what is ahead. I can’t wait to fly over snowcapped mountains. Jane will soon be on her long winter vacation from school, which leaves Emily with 75 kids at Pulane Children’s Centre to manage, and one more at home!

Many thanks for all of your support. We could not be here without it. Please be sure to check in on our Instagram accounts (Emily, Grant) (including the one for PCC where we try and keep stories and pics regularly updated. Now, I hope that coal order comes through soon!