Sydney Anglican Cheryl Mayes is not one for sitting on her hands " when she heard Bangkok-based missionary Andrew Dircks was struggling to cope with his tsunami workload, she booked a flight for Thailand.
Cheryl and her husband Richard are members of Christ Church, St Ives, who have been supporting CMS missionary Andrew Dircks for several years.
Mr Dircks is attached to Christ Church Bangkok where he is currently co-ordinating parish relief efforts for tens of thousands of people affected by the tsunami.
"Christ Church Bangkok has become a focal point for overseas aid contributions, particularly for the Christian community," Richard Mayes says.
When the Mayes heard he was being swamped by the administration they decided they could lend a helping hand.
Mrs Mayes flew out for Thailand late last week and will spend the next fortnight helping with the administration associated with the distribution of aid in south western Thailand.
"The Dircks family have only been there for the past six months or so," says Mr Mayes.
"The aid work has been a huge extra burden on their shoulders. You'd have to be a superman to cope with all of that!"
Andrew Dircks says the extra pair of hands are a real God-send.
“Cheryl’s coming is not only a valuable contribution to our work force, but also a tremendous encouragement to Suzanne and me personally,” Mr Dircks says.
Christ Church, St Ives, has organised a chain of people to assist the Dircks when Mrs Mayes' stint comes to an end.
Another volunteer will head out as soon as the mother of three heads home.
Richard Mayes says his wife and the other volunteers will help their congregation better understand the problems facing Christians on the ground.
"She's finding the whole experience impressive and exhilarating. I think it's been a real eye-opener," he says.
