WUNDERLI WANDERINGS

On Sunday we went down to Kajjansi (home of MAF Hangar and soon to be office).  The office is coming along and each time we go out we see a lot of progress.  The due date for completion is the end of July 2016.  Below are some photos of the progress. We took a snack with us and the two dogs.  This was the first time Sox had been out at Kajjansi.  She loved it and was not too keen to get back in the car at the end.  It was a bit of a wrestling match.  Enjoy the photos below :) The view from the airstrip and below is a close up from the other side.  Below you can see that the rebar is useful for more than one thing as you can just make out two pairs of black boots hanging on it to dry   Sox at the gate saying bye to Joshua and Zara as they head to school Sox and one of her best friends :)  Sox's first time swimming

Last Friday Joshua and Zara's school had a Thanksgiving BBQ.  During the afternoon there were football matches and then a Pinewood Derby competition.  For those of you who are reading this and have no idea what I am talking about then you are not alone because I was in the same boat not that long ago.  Bascially, the children buy a wooden car and can design it however they wish.  The cars are then raced down a track to see who is the winner.  The rules are quite strict with regards to the dimensions and weight that the car is allowed to be.  Joshua and Zara really got into it so bought two kits to race.  I wish I could show you some photos of the race but the lighting was really bad so hopefully will get some photos from school.  Below are the two cars that Zara entered and the one on the left was the winner whereby she got first prize.  In Zara's group the girls came out on top winning all places, first, second and third.  Zara wa...

I read an interesting article on someone else's blog the other day.  It was entitled "Why missionaries can never go home again?"  A lot of what the writer said rang true for me as I read it.  What do you say when someone says to you where is home?  This is a question that has come up on many an occasion recently in our MAF Programme due to the influx of new International staff.  It has been almost 20 years since I left my passport country of Scotland and in those, soon to be, 20 years I have lived in 4 countries.  Almost half of my life has been lived out of my birth country so where is home? I remember just this pass summer when I was "home" in Scotland.  I went into purchase a couple of items in a well know shop.  I needed some advice from the lady behind the counter.  The lady was more than happy to help me and shared her thoughts on what to buy.  However, the advice is only as good as you understand it.  I only got about 7...

In and around cities in the world you will always find the needy and the poor.  They live lives that most of us could not even begin to comprehend.  This is no different in Kampala.  There are certain roads in town whereby street kids are very evident.  They beg for money, food or for whatever people are willing to give.  The needs, at times, seem overwhelming and out of control.  Where do you start at helping these little ones who have had a rough start to life? The church we go to here in Kampala took on a thriving ministry called Heroes.  Let me use their words to describe what they do. "In Kampala, Uganda Freedom Heroes provides care, education and support to over 100 children and young people who are living on the streets. Some of these children are living in our home for boys, where they are loved and cared for." "In Siem Reap, Cambodia our Freedom Heroes School runs five days a week for children who have no other way to gain an education a...

Simon surprised us last week by taking us away for a night to a place just outside of Kampala.  We went with another family who were also equally surprised.  It is amazing what happens when two Dad's put their heads together.  Here are some family photos for you to enjoy. Joshua with his "I am tough" face   The joys of climbing the elephant     Life as an MK in Africa is spent mostly in the pool where possible  

As many of you know our flights have been restricted and so this has had a negative impact on our organization and the people we serve.  We would still value your prayers for this situation to change soon. However, Simon has not been bored.  Far from it.  For the last few weeks he has been working with our Avionics team in the hangar at Kajjansi.  They needed some work benches built and so Simon's skill with wood has come in handy for the team.  Below you will see evidence of his work.  I think the photos show how happy Mat Thomson, Avionics Engineer was about the completed work. The work benches are now complete with only a few minor additions to be made which Simon will work on throughout this week.  The last few days, however, he has been tangled up in wires for the new avionics installation for "Scotty", the MAF Caravan that was funded by people in Scotland.   Spaghetti Junction

Our mischievious puppy, Sox    Today, Joshua went to put on his trainers for school only to find out she had bitten through the laces.  First time for everything but not great timing at 7.25am :)   She has one ear that doesn't stay up....just adds to her cuteness   Our wee fluffy chicks are growing and getting more adventurous each day.  We started with 21 and now have 19 so not bad statistics.   This is a video of Joshua and Zara playing on their new swing that Joshua helped Simon make.  Believe me it is a lot of fun.  :)

  Simon did an overnight flight last week for the Irish Embassy.  It was a place called Moroto and is in Moroto district which is located in orange above.  Simon wanted to take a walk up one of the hills there. He asked at the place where he was staying if there was a path up the hill but they looked at him as if he was crazy.  Simon ended up making his own way through the tall grass.  He was just told to look out for snakes as he walked.   Due to him picking up a lot of burrs and seeds in the long grass he spent an hour back at his lodgings trying to pick them all out his clothes.  By the time he got to his socks he said it was a no win situation and the socks were tossed out.  However, the beauty of the place made up for it.  Another day in the life of a pilot in Uganda.  What is not to love about the job :)   The top of the hill from his lodging place

The other night whilst I was working on the computer Zara came rushing into the room saying we have chickens.  She was absolutely right.  The night guard had purchased 21 chickens for us.  Simon had talked with our night guard, Moses, about getting chickens but we didn't quite expect them so soon.  The funniest part of it was that Simon was heading off on an overnight the next day and Moses was off duty and so guess who had to being mama to them all, me :)  Thankfully Joshua and Zara were around also to check on them.  Zara especially enjoys animals so she was talking to them and giving them names.  Unfortunately, Sally the sick one, despite much love, care and attention, died.  We also lost another one two days later but the rest seem to be thriving.  They are less than a week old but some of them think they can already fly.  They are quite comical.  We hope to have fresh eggs in a few months time which will be of great...

On Saturday we had decided as a family to clear all the branches of the trees that we had recently trimmed.  The remains of which were scattered over a fairly large area.  Some of them were used to make a small hideout that Zara and her friends played in.  However, Saturday was supposed to be the big family clear up.  However, not long into the morning Simon got a phone call to say that a missionary in the southwest of Uganda had all of a sudden lost his hearing and needed to head out the country for tests.  Simon told Joshua he could come with him so they both got ready to travel to Kajjansi.  A few hours later they returned saying that they didn't make it all the way to their destination as the man had got another flight.  Please pray for this man that he will get the necessary testing and treatment that he needs and that he can continue serving here in Uganda. So Team Wunderli consisted of Zara and I to clear all th...

One of our staff sent through a you tube link showing Simon in action as he was flying in Northern Uganda.  We had no idea this short video was taken but we thought we would share it with you.  You can view it at the following site.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPM2bzFQncQ

First day of school at Acacia   First day of school at the Senior School for the MAF kids   Zara and one of her best friends.  They are now in the same class.....double trouble. Memory lane....first day of school at Rainbow....2007    Joshua starting Reception class and Zara starting Nursery Class   Me and my bro....awesome   Is school a really good idea....oh yes says Joshua :) 

 Meet Sox our new wee furry friend.  She is 3.5 months old and trying to figure out how it all works with being the only small puppy on the compound.  She had 6 brothers and 1 sister.  Now she has to tough it out with Chewy.  She is one wee cutie.  We wanted another female and Sox was the one that took to Simon right away.  The puppy has taste. :)

After many years of hearing talk about MAF Uganda moving their office to the airfield at Kajjansi it is hard to believe it is actually happening.  It will be a joint effort with eMi  ( www.emiworld.org ).  We will be sharing the office with eMi and they are also the ones doing the construction.  It has been a lot of work for both organisations to get to this stage but we are grateful for their perseverance. Yesterday Simon and I, with Joshua and Zara,  went out to Kajjansi for a picnic.   It was fun to play frisbee together, throw stones for Chewy (our dog) in the water and go for a walk along the airstrip.  The sun was shining and it was good to be out in the open. We also got to see the work that has been started for the new Office with Drainage pipes being installed.  Wow, it is actually happening.  At the moment everyone is crammed in our little office opposite our house.  I just heard the other day that we are up to about 7...

We have just been back a couple of days but already we are getting the sense that life is busy here in the Programme.  A Swedish MAF family, who used to work in our Tanzania programme, have returned to the field to work in Uganda.  We also have a family arriving on Friday from Tanzania to live and work with MAF in Uganda.  Just before we left for furlough an Australian family arrived to help us out in the hangar on specific projects.  It has been quite the turn around in one year.  We also have two families leaving us but are unsure of the time frame due to complicated circumstances.  Pray that clarity comes soon for them. MAF, this year, has been recruiting for a new MAF programme in Liberia.  We have had one family move to Uganda to do some training here before heading west.  Unfortunately due to the Ebola outbreak the timing of their move is uncertain.  This can be unsettling for all those involved but, more importantly, t...

On Saturday we arrived back in Uganda via Doha, Qatar.  We had a good furlough and it was great to catch up with family and friends.  As is ever the case we were not able to see everyone but we were grateful for the ones we did see.  Thanks to all the folks at Wester Hailes Baptist for organizing a buffet and enabling us to catch up with so many people at that event.  It was very helpful. Rather than formal events we had a lot of informal times with friends and supporters which made it a bit more personal.  We shared about our work and lives in Uganda as we walked along a beach, drinking coffee and tea in a coffee shop, visiting places of interest, in people's homes or taking a stroll along a river.  Thanks to all of you for taking the time to ask questions and inquire about our life in Uganda. In amongst meeting with people we were able to do some fun things with the kids and show them some of their Scottish home.  Thankfully we had wond...