WUNDERLI WANDERINGS

The last month has been a bit of a whirlwind for our family.  Since the MAF Congo team evacuated out of Congo it has been full on but never dull :)  We had one lady stay with us for two weeks before she headed back to Congo for a brief time before then heading onto Kenya to visit some family with her husband.  We had some good fellowship together as we have known this couple for a number of years. I was called upon to do some de-briefing with the families of the team so that was spread out over a two week period and there have been subsequent follow-ups.  Two families are back in Congo and the remaining ones are still in Kampala.  The situation in Congo is being monitored and the families with young children will return at the "right" time. Simon's back is doing much better and he started flying again last week.  He still has some pain in his bottom and lower leg but the physio said it will just take time to go away.  We are grateful that life ha...

Please pray for our team in C*ngo who are evacuating out of B*nia today.  There has been unrest for a few days now and the situation has escalated in G*ma in the south.  Roads were blocked to the airport but fortunately the families were able to leave their houses and make it to the airport this afternoon.  We will be hosting one couple and the rest of the families will be spread out.  Please pray for these team members as its not easy to leave in times like this especially when their C*ongolese friends have to stay behind.  Its an unsettling time and there is no definite time to return.   Pray for those that have been through this before as this is not the first time for a few of them.  Pray for the memories that it can generate and the losses that happen during these times. Pray for wisdom for those making decisions that God would guide them clearly.  Pray for a spirit of unity during these days and that MAF Uganda will be a support ...

Thanks to all of you reading this who have been praying for Simon.  He is greatly improved and the pain in his back is negliable.  He is having pain down his leg still which is related to the trapped nerve from his back.  However, that is easing over time so we are grateful for that.  He doesn't have to attend the doctor this week although will need to go for a check up next week.  He is hoping that he can return to flying next week even in a limited capacity but time will tell on that one. Because he is able to stand comfortably and work he has been working on some wood projects for the hangar and the terminal building.  This has kept him busy along with his safety officer job.  However, sitting at the computer for long periods of time hasn't been easy so he has had to limit the amount of time he does but it is getting better and better. For the past week we have had guests staying with us.  Zane McCourtney and his family have been living in ...

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Simon.  He is doing much better and is now only going to the Dr. for treatment every other day instead of every day.  Progress is being made :)  He is off the MAF flight schedule for a further two weeks unless a miracle happens and he recovers fully within that time. He is more mobile thankfully and is able to spend some time standing (he cannot sit for long periods) in the wood shop making picture frames for our new MAF hangar.  He continues with his "office" job of Safety Officer and was able to hold a meeting for that this week although he had to stand for most of it and the meeting went for 4.5 hours and they say women talk too much :)  Anyway we are glad he is doing better as it hasn't been fun at all watching him suffer in this way.  We appreciate all the emails, facebook messages and sms's you have sent with your thoughts of encouragement and your prayers.  We look forward to the next two weeks ...

Some of you have been asking how Simon is doing.  He is still not doing well and has been diagnosed with an acute prolapsed disc so he won't be flying for a while.  MAF has taken him off the flying schedule for three weeks but, if a miracle happens (always possible), then he can resume his flight duties again before then. I have to say it has been a bit of a rough week.  Simon was in a lot of pain on Tuesday so much so that even the doctor, who is a man of very few words, said he is suffering alot.  He suggested an injection of morphine to help him manage the pain.  It did help and he has been able to move around a bit more.  Since then he has been attending the clinic for massage and manipulation each day.  Please pray with us that he would find relief soon and also that he would be able to sleep better at night.  The lack of sleep is catching up :) Thanks for those of you have been praying.  We know God all...

Two weeks ago Simon flew to Bundibugyo.  This town is located to the West of Uganda on the border with Congo on the other side of the Rwenzori mountains.  It was supposed to be a quick flight and a short day for Simon.  However what you plan and what happens in actuality is sometimes very different. There had been a lot of rain in that part of Uganda in recent days and had rained the whole night before Simon arrived.  This meant the airstrip was very wet.  The following photos will show what happened better than I could explain :) One stuck plane! Sweeping the loose grass aside which added to the problem Thankfully there is always somebody around to help you out a tight spot Thankfully more help came.... The 4WD vehicle did the trick and Simon was able to get the plane out the mud and loose grass

If you have been wondering why it has been a bit quiet with the Wunderli's it has been because we have been battling on the health front. Just over a week ago I had the symptoms of a bad flu which turned out to be malaria.  Due to us being out of Kampala for one night it seems likely that is probably where I picked it up.  Thankfully I am on the right side of it now and there is no more of it in my system.  Praise the Lord!  Not something I want to repeat although I still think I had milder symptoms that Simon did when he had it :).  I have to say I am grateful that is was me that got it and not Joshua or Zara.  Don't wish it on anyone. Last week Simon was loading a plane for his trip to Congo and hurt his back in the process.  It is most likely a trapped nerve or slipped disk.  He went for treatment for it three times last week and will go again this coming week for another three treatments.  Fortunately or unfortunately, whatever way yo...

The title to this post came from a sermon that was preached at our Church.  You can listen to the sermon series on their web page which you can access on our side bar under Freedom Church.  The sermon series is entitled "The Great Locomotive".  Sometimes our lives are like that here in Uganda where we feel like we are on a fast moving train.  This is not necessarily a bad thing and we are enjoying what God is doing in us and through us.  However, it might be the reason you haven't had a blog post in a while :) I started a new season in Bible study in September.  It has been amazing how God has led in these studies and the things that are coming out of them.  With the two National Ugandan groups we are going through the book of Exodus, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.  We are learning a lot from the life of Moses and all that he had to deal with in his life from growing up in the courts of Pharaoh to tending sheep owned by his father-in-l...

Two weeks ago Joshua and Zara had the opportunity to fly with Simon before they headed back to school. They had the chance to go to Sudan in the 206 (6 seater).  This was their first time in Sudan and as Simon only had one passenger up and one passenger down there was plenty of room.  Sometimes we hear people say "oh your kids miss out on so much with living in Africa".   I think the opposite is true.  There are not many children who can say they flew to a different country for the day and their Daddy was the pilot :) 

Simon was doing the Northern shuttle flight this morning.  He had a plan for the day but as is normal things can change...read on to see how is day actually went... I was supposed to have a “quick northern shuttle” flight with only two stops which is unusual in itself. I missed the fact that I was to refuel upcountry but luckily we had one no-show passenger which made it all work. On Sunday I had already received a text from our Operations Department (OPS) regarding a joining passenger from Matany hospital. Just before landing in ,where we were dropping an eye-surgery team, OPS called to ask if I could pick up an additional patient who needed more treatment in Kampala. There were plenty of seats so once we landed and unloaded I took on the two extra people. The gentleman had his right arm all cast up to his shoulder and he could hardly make it in-between the isle of the back seats to sit on the rear seat but with some maneuvering he finally managed. Just before land...

Summer and Zane McCourtney with their 13 children are going through a difficult season in their lives.  We have know Summer and Zane for many years and till now their hearts and lifes were forever going to be in Uganda.  However, God has a way of changing things and so I have copied a part of their blog post to our blog so you can see what is going on.  If you would like to keep up to date with their progress to move back to the US then you can visit them at www.fromglory2glory.blogspot.com   please pray for them with regards to their adopted children.  They are working through the minefield of officials and government offices in two countries so that the family can live all together in the States.  This is a complicated process and, as far as we know, has never been done before.  Thankfully we serve a Heavenly Father who has all the keys to make it work.  I leave you with their blogpost from 23/7/12 to give you a bit of a insight into the situati...

After a busy two weeks in Scotland visiting with family, friends and some supporters I am now back in Uganda.  It was good to see people and touch base with our home church at Wester Hailes Baptist church.  Thanks to all of you who made Joshua, Zara and I most welcome and who continue to be interested in our life and work with MAF in Uganda. Joshua and Zara enjoyed their time in Scotland and were, of course, enjoying the delights of many things that came their way including being spoiled by Granny, Aunties, Uncles and the list goes on.  One thing they really enjoyed was to go out on the street and play on their bikes with friends they have made over the years when we have been on furlough.  Not having to specially arrange play dates but having the freedom just to go out was fun for them.  It was also fun for me because I didn't have to organise the logistics of the play dates either :)  Thankfully Simon took a week off on our return and it has been...

A few months ago Simon was asked to write up, for MAF, how a day shapes up for him in the Uganda program.  He actually wrote up how a week can turn out.  This story was to give supporters and MAF enthusiasts a clue as to what happens on the field.  The following story was published in the Life and Work magazine of which I had hoped to copy and paste in our blog but was unsuccessful.  For those who are on our blog notification list you will have received the Life and Work edition to your personal email account.  However, for those not on our blog notification list I found Simon's first copy of it and have posted it for you.....enjoy the read! Where do you sweat in 50 ° C temperatures without actually sweating whilst easily drinking 6 litres a day? Sudan in the dry season! I just recently spent a week with AidSudan (now Every Village) to install their satellite dishes for live radio broadcasting. Meeting Kerry, Kerrie-Jean and Wayne early M...

These past two weeks we had a visit from a friend from Scotland.  I have known Carol for many years and so it was fun to have her come and see our lives in Uganda.  The two weeks went by very quickly as we filled it with different things.  Carol was able to go on a flight with Simon and see a bit of life upcountry. She, very much, enjoyed all the children that flock round the plane on its arrival.  This must have something to do with her being a Primary School teacher :)  I think, in total, they visited 5 different places.  She was pretty tired by the end of the day. She also got to sit in on the three Bible studies I teach during the week.  It was great to be able to introduce her to so many special people and be involved in the conversations that come up during these times.  One of the Bible studies I teach can be challenging as you never know what questions might come up. They usually are off the subject but we try and deal with them as best ...

For those of you who think we are "lost" (a Ugandan expression for having not heard or seen us for a long time) since we haven't posted anything for a while we are still here just been a bit busy. At the beginning of June we had a guest arrive for almost three weeks.  Emma Blackwelder is a student in a college in Missouri, USA.  We first met Emma back in 2010 when we were in Dubai.  We have kept in contact since that time and she asked if she could come and visit us in Uganda and do some ministry with us.  She spent the first two weeks with us as we acclimatised her to life in Africa.   She was also able to go on a flight with Simon and see more of Uganda.  Friends of ours, Luan and George Fellman, who work out in Fort Portal (Western Uganda) had kindly agreed to have Emma out there with them for a few weeks as we have another guest arriving next week.  Anyway Emma is interested in Women's ministry so she was able to attend the Bible studie...

 Got to love those "donkeys" that carry all the cargo and people...the four legged one and the one with wings. The solar panels being put on the top of the invertor house Mud glorious mud unless you are trying to get a plane off the ground. The work team Simon hard at it with the man from the solar panel company trying to use every available moment to get the job done in time. Simon said by the time they got back to Kajjansi Scotty needed a serious bath. Beautiful South Sudan taken from the top of a mast.

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted something on our blog.  This month seemed to go by at top speed.  It started out with Joshua's 9th birthday on the 1 May and then tomorrow will be Zara's 7th birthday.  We had a joint birthday party for them last weekend with some friends.  There was a total of 16 children and 10 adults.  Wow it was full on but the kids had fun with a BBQ, cakes, sweets and games which included water surprisingly enough. Simon was away this month for a couple of nights with Aid Sudan.  He travelled to a place called Nasir which is about 4.5 flight hours one way.  It is in the middle of nowhere and very much a"village".  Simon was helping the teams with an invertor system so that they could power the radio for broadcasting chr*stian programmes.  It was a busy time for the team to get it all done so long hours were put in but were very satisfied when everything was accomplished.  They had hoped to c...

The ground being prepared for the hangar structure to go up Delivery of the hangar in containers....its amazing that this structure fit in a few containers...glad I wasn't the one packing it. More ground preparation.... Finally a structure a structure with a back wall and sliding doors being assembled Offices being constructed  A view of the new hangar and the old hangar... The celebrations about to commence with the MAF US team working on a plane at the same time :) Could this be a future pilot from MAF....one our wee "MAF kids" This post was supposed to be available last week but we have had some internet/connection issues.  Not all the photos uploaded and it took almost 24 hours to upload these ones :)  Anyway glad it has worked now. Two weeks ago we had the dedication of our new MAF Hangar.  It was a challenging project from the beginning to the end but we are glad to see it up and in use now...

Simon had a flight into Congo not that long ago.  As he was flying to Goma, his destination in EDRC he was able to fly over an active volcano and take some photos.  You can enjoy them below.  Joshua was very impressed.

Yesterday we said goodbye to Simon's parents who came to visit us for three and a half weeks.  We had an enjoyable time with them.  Joshua and Zara were on holiday from school for Easter break so we took the opportunity to go away for a few days as a family.  We went down to the South West of Uganda and enjoyed a beautiful part of God's creation. It is always good to see the country where you live through visitors eyes.  After over 10 years in Uganda the things we see are often just normal for us.  However, the oohs and ahhh's from the back of the car often tell us that something we take for granted as a part of life is not quite what people are used to when they come from the west.  I have included some photos to show you courtesy of Simon's parents. The photos are a bit random in order due to the length of time it has taken me to download them but the captions should make it self explanatory.  On our way down to Queen Elizabeth via the Equ...

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.  Simon came home a week past Sunday from South Africa and then his parents arrived for a three week visit the next day.  Simon's training down in South Africa went well but he was glad to come home and have life go back to normal (whatever that is :)) I have just finished teaching on the topic of Prayer for our ladies Bible study.  It truly has been an amazing time with the different groups and hearing how God has been speaking to them through this time of study and personal time on prayer.  I wish I could list all the encouraging things I have heard :) The plan was to continue in our snail pace of walking through the Bible but God had other plans.  On April 25, after the school holidays, we will begin a new topic on Spiritual Warfare.  This was not what I thought would happen but definitely follows on well from our Prayer study.  Please, if you think of it, pray for this study and for our time togeth...

Simon left as planned on Sunday morning (5:30am) for his trip to South Africa.  Unfortunately he never did make it on the plane.  When he got to the check-in they told him he couldn't fly because his yellow fever vaccination needed to be at least 10 days old he had just got it renewed the previous week. (this is a new policy of which nobody we know has ever heard about) Well thankfully he was able to sort it all out in a clinic in Entebbe and was rebooked on the next flight out to South Africa on Monday morning.  He made it in time for the afternoon session so he hasn't missed much at all.  Please pray for him over these next two weeks as he completes his instrument training and check pilot renewal course.  He is there with another MAF Uganda pilot so I am sure there will be some fun too. Joshua, Zara and I are adjusting to life without him for this time.  Thankfully Joshua and Zara are used to Daddy being away on occasi...

From L to R - Wayne, Kerry, Kerrie-Jean and Simon Walking to the radio station to start work  Doing the "nightshift" to try and get the work completed Will it work or not....now its time to test it....with a little help from a wee friend  Simon's bed for the night...a mattress on top of 6 boxes containing radio receivers...he said he slept well :) Donkey helping the team out by carrying all their supplies to the plane This is "home"for this night anyway A mission hospital in Tonj treating a man who had received a bullet wound from cattle rustlers. (Permission was granted for these photos to be taken and shown) This man was driven up to another hospital in a place called Wau.  The journey took 3 hrs by ambulance.  Along with him were two other bullet casualties.  There were only beds for two in the ambulance but somehow they squeezed the third one in.  In Africa there is always room for one more....