We made it....

After a unplanned stop in London for two days we finally made it back to Uganda.  On arriving at Zurich airport we were told that we would miss our connecting flight to Uganda due to the delay of the British Airways flight to London.  The reasons we were given for this was bad weather or a closed runway at Heathrow.  We never found out which one it was.  Anyway British Airways gave us the options of re-routing through Johannesburg and picking up a flight there to Uganda or waiting two days and flying direct from London to Entebbe.  We opted for the latter.  The thoughts of sitting on a plane all those hours didn't inspire us at all.

We made use of our time in London as we had one full day.  We took a bus tour round London and saw many of the sights that I had only seen on TV.  Yes, I had never been in the centre of London before.  I know it sounds crazy but the opportunity never presented itself and there were always other places to go. Anyway now I can officially say I have been in London.  Joshua and Zara slept quite a bit on the bus tour as they didn't get to bed till 1am that morning.  However, it all worked out and we made it back to Uganda on Friday morning.

Chewy, our dog, was so excited to see us and made us feel very welcome.  She ran around the house (outside) and didn't let us our of her sight in case we thought about leaving again.

The weekend was busy due to unpacking and friends that popped in to say hi on their way to Rwanda.  However the bus they had planned to take was full so they stayed the night with us and departed last night.  They will come back and stay with us on their return this week.

Yesterday we had a houseful for Sunday lunch as more friends came over so it was a fun time of catching up and enjoying some fellowship time together.  Today is very quiet as Joshua and Zara started school and Simon started flying.

However it is good to be back home and getting back into a routine again after two months away.  Thanks to all of you who made us most welcome for either breakfast, coffee or dinner.  It was good to see you.  Sorry to all of you whom we didn't see this time around.  Maybe next time.

As usual we seem to be in the fast lane on our return to Uganda.  Tomorrow morning I head to Nairobi, Kenya for the Mobile Member Care Advisory Council meetings.  I am looking forward to what is planned and how, as a board, we can move things forward in Member Care for East Africa.  I will let you know how it went on my return.  I would also value your prayers for these meetings that God would lead us to what He has planned.  Also for Simon, Joshua and Zara as they remain in Kampala that all would be well.

Well this is just a wee update and to let you know that we got back safely.  Thanks for your prayers.

Furlough happenings....

It has been some time since I have updated our blog.  I am not sure where the time goes whilst on furlough.  We are now in Switzerland and are half way through our time here.  We had a good visit with people in Scotland for one month and enjoyed catching up with family and friends.  We spoke at two regional speaking events, one in Dundee and one in Edinburgh.  We were also able to have the MAF Flight simulator at the Dundee event which gave people an idea of what it is like to fly with MAF.  Thankfully if you don`t land well no damage is done unlike the real thing :).  I also had a shot at it and I don`t think Simon will be calling me to be his co-pilot anytime soon.  As always there is never enough time to get round everyone but hopefully if we didn`t see you this furlough we will on our next trip.

Our time in Switzerland has been made up of meetings, medical checks, new passports for Simon, Joshua and Zara and other bits and pieces. A few of our speaking enagements are towards the end of our time on furlough.  I will be sharing with Simon`s home Church "Seniors" at their afternoon meeting on Wednesday 17th August.  We will also be sharing about Uganda at the MAF Day near Bern on Saturday 20th August and at Simon`s church here in Meilen on the 21st with a brunch.  During the rest of the time we have had breakfasts, lunches and evening meals with different people giving them a personal update on what is happening with us and the work we do in Uganda with MAF.

We will be heading back to Uganda on the 23rd August.  Please pray for Uganda as food prices have sky rocketed as well as fuel.  Electricity is off every other day and so daily life is a struggle for many.  Pray for wise decisions to be made by the government and that basic essentials will be affordable again.

Please pray for our remaining two weeks in Switzerland that we would share clearly what is on our hearts concerning our life and work in Uganda with the people we meet.

Thank you to all of you whom we had the pleasure of spending time with.  Thanks for making us feel most welcome and being interested in what we do.  I will post some pictures on the blog once we arrive back in Uganda.