WUNDERLI WANDERINGS

Phew it has been quite the ride the last couple of weeks.  Simon returned home from Switzerland on the early hours of Christmas Eve after spending a week with his family.  It was good for him to spend time with his Mum, Dad, sisters and other family members.  His Mum has continued to go downhill healthwise and is now no longer reponsive.  Her time left on this earth is very short but she had communicated in these last days that she was ready to see Jesus.  Oh what a glorious day that will be for her. Please continue to pray for the family as they care for her at home that God will give them all that they need.  Simon will return for the funeral when the time comes.  Pray that they would all sense God's comfort. While Simon was gone the challenges continued.  Our dog, Chewy, was very sick one night to the point of being paralysed on one side.  Thankfully, she survived the night and I was able to get a vet out to help her.  H...

Due to the deterioration in Simon's Mums health we made the decision this morning for Simon to fly home to Switzerland to be with her.  He will fly out tonight and arrive tomorrow lunch time.  It is also difficult to know when the time is right but after praying about it Simon felt it was right to go now.  Please pray for him as he travels that all would go smoothly.  Pray for Simon's Mum in these days as the pain is great.  Pray for her to sense God's presence.  Pray also for the rest of the family as they go through this time with her.   Will keep you updated as and when we know more.

I posted last week about the medevac that Simon did for Baby Christine who had inhaled a stone and was flown to Kampala for treatment.  Sadly, Christine died on arrival at the hospital.  They tried to resuscitate her but were unsuccessful.  The parents returned to their home upcountry with her body for burial.  Please pray for this family in the loss of their child.

This weekend we had the unpleasant experience of being broken into.  We had left Saturday morning to go and spend some time with friends who were leaving to return to Germany.  When we arrived back at the house after a few hours we found the door lock had been broken off and some of our items taken.  It was a bit of an eerie feeling knowing that somebody or people had gone through your things and helped themselves to computers, kindles, nintendos etc.   However, we are grateful that they didn't come when we were at home and that none of us were harmed in the incident.  Simon spent some time at the Police station and driving the Police up to our house so they could do an "investigation".  Joshua and Zara were very upset to find some of their things taken but are doing well now.  They haven't had trouble sleeping since it happened so we are thankful for that.  We assured them that they were just "things", even although they were precious...

Simon flew up to a place called Malualkon, South Sudan on Wednesday with a bag of vegetables, fruit and sweets.  Malualkon is located just south of Darfur and not exactly a metropolis as you can see from the photos below hence the food items that went up for the family living there. That night a puff adder happened to pass the front door of the house they were staying at.  A puff adder's venom can kill you within an hour of being bitten.  One child in the region had been killed recently by a spitting cobra so its not a place for the faint hearted. Simon and another MAF Pilot, Greg Vine flew up solar radios for the FM station that has been set up by the mission there, Every Village.  It operates like a radio station with Christian content being broadcast in the local language.  You can check out Every Village's website at http://everyvillage.org/  for further information on what ministries they are involved in. The following photos tell the story ...

Medical Evacuation  from Matany - Report from Simon   "I landed in Matany for a scheduled pick-up of a doctor who’d been visiting for one week. On arrival I was asked if I could take a baby and her mother back to Kampala as a medevac. The baby must have been chewing on a stone and accidentally “inhaled” it. The stone got lodged in the wind pipe and so she was struggling to breathe. We rigged up an oxygen bottle and then loaded up the baby’s mum along with the baby. The doctor manually pumped oxygen along with the bottled oxygen the entire trip down (1.2 hours). In Kajjansi we moved the whole contraption into the taxi and off they went to Mulago Hospital where they had surgery scheduled this afternoon to remove the stone. Pray all goes well. (picture taken at 10500 ft cruising altitude!)" Give thanks that God provided that Dr. to be on the same flight as baby Christine.  Hopefully we will hear soon how she is.  Once I know I will be sure t...

  Fred (MAF's Flight Follower) and his wife Jocelyn made another trip by car to Kodike to deliver more food stuffs and clothing.  Below are some photos that Fred took of his time there. Fred, and others, will be travelling up this weekend again to minister to the people of this area.  Please pray for them as they do this that many will be encouraged, needs will be met and that God will protect this team in their service to the people of Kodike.       The roads were passable but not without difficulty.  Fred said that if they had come a day earlier it would have been a challenge to get the 1708kg of seeds up to Kodike.       Bags of maize, flour, beans, sorghum offloaded and waiting for distribution     Jocelyn (Fred's wife) helping with the distribution of the food supplies and Fred helping also (sitting on the seat in the picture below)     Above and below people...

MAF Uganda has been busy putting the prayer chains together that have been sent over from the UK.  These are strips of paper that people have written prayers on for MAF and for two other organisations that operate in Uganda. Last Friday we had a fellowship day where all the staff, National and International, got together for a time of worship and teaching led by Tony Horsfall (MAF's Pastoral Care Worker, who works for Charis Training in the UK).  During that time we also put the prayer chains together.  As we did we read some of the prayers that people had written.  Thanks to all of you who contributed to this and for your prayers...they work!! Our Information Co-ordinator, Jill Vine, explains it well in the following.... o       We’ve kick started the “Paper Plane Chain” venture with the National Staff helping to assemble and read the encouraging messages sent to the program…the office is now looking very festive.  T...

  A few weeks ago Simon was asked to make a coffin for a baby girl who died, Selah Shalom McPhee.  Simon has made many things with wood but this was a first and not an easy one. With permission from the parents I have included a photo of the coffin.  Please pray for the McPhee family as they go through the grieving process of losing their baby girl.  They have posted on their facebook page some photos of the moments of when they buried baby Selah.  It sure brings tears to your eyes.  You can see the photos on Facebook at Dave and Janna McPhee.  I am sure this will encourage you to pray for this family as they work through their journey of grief. Whilst Simon was making the coffin Zara came in to have a look.  In a matter of fact voice she asked if Simon would make one for her if she died as a child. Simon told her he would but prayed he would never have to.  I was glad I didn't have to answer her.

This past month has been a busy flying month for the pilots due to some away on training or giving training.  This means for the ones remaining in the programme they have their fair share of flying to do.  We also saw our Operations Manager leave for furlough which leaves a hole that needs to filled by different people.  So all in all there is no room to be bored :)  Pray for those in leadership to make good decisions. Joshua and Zara are doing well.  They had their report cards last week from school and all is good in that department.  Joshua is in his last year of primary which is difficult to believe and Zara has two more years after this one.  They sure grow fast!  They are planning to be in the next swimming gala at school so Joshua is planning to practice every day this week as long as the rain stays away.  Thankfully, for the most part, its warm rain :) Simon is busy with his flying schedule as well as in his MAF Safety Manager rol...

Two planes went up to Nasir, South Sudan.  One with all the team members and the other one with the supplies.  Part of the supplies was a motorbike and a wee dog....I wonder what he thinks of it all :)   There are no places to buy supplies up in Nasir so everything had to be carefully planned. These supplies will, hopefully, keep them going until Christmas when they will come out for a break. Now the fun begins...all the unloading.  All these supplies were loaded onto the back of a donkey cart.  (You can see that in one of the photos below) I think it took 4 trips to get all the stuff to the compound.   Walking one way takes 45 minutes.  It was quite the operation.   This strip is notorious for being a hazard when wet.  Thankfully the rains let off enough so there was a period of dry weather.  It is not often you see green grass either. :)   The white patch on this part of the airstrip ...

Simon and another MAF pilot flew a team from Every Village up into South Sudan last week.  This team will be spending time learning the local language, evangelism, ensuring the Chr*stian radio station continues to broadcast,  community health projects amongst other community service ministries.   I had written a report up about it but just found out that Kerry Henderson, Every Village Director who flew with Simon had produced an account of his journey there so here it is.....   Dear MAF Partners,   Nasir Team on the Ground!!!   First of all we want to thank MAF for all your hard work to get these missionaries to South Sudan!  It was a group effort from all of you to make this happen, from Ops, to Pilots, to mechanics, to finance, to Kajj help, prayers from all of you, and we appreciate all the extra time you all took to make this happen, you all are such a blessing to us and all missionaries working here...

Over two years ago a MAF worker's wife had complications in her pregnancy which resulted in the baby dying in the womb.  Another MAF colleague and I visited the wife in hospital during that time.  Once the baby was delivered arrangements were made for the baby to be buried.  Due to the family being from C*ng* they did not have land where they could bury him.  However, after making a few phone calls land was found and a hole was dug.  A friend and I, in our car, along with whoever could fit in it drove with baby David to the burial site.  He had been placed in a card board box.  Due to us being white we couldn't go to the "funeral" as the land that had been arranged and paid for would have gone up in price.  We waited in a dimly lit room whilst the funeral service took place. Tomorrow I have the pleasure of visiting the family again as they had another baby boy since that tragic time and have named him David also....

First of all thanks to all of you who have responded to my previous post on Kodike Village whether it be with prayer support or through finances.  Simon was able to fly up some supplies yesterday to the area that had been collected in our MAF office.  There is still more to go up but there wasn't room on the plane.  Our Information Co-Ordinator and another colleague also flew up so I am sure a story will be produced soon as well as photos. It was good to see many of you whilst I was home in Scotland for a week at a close friend's wedding.  It was a bit of a whirlwind trip but glad for the opportunity to catch up with so many both at the wedding and on other days.  I was also blessed with a quick overnight in Holland on the way back to visit a close friend who has just returned to Holland from the MAF Uganda programme.  It was SO good to catch up with her and see the family.  As always with friends the time is too short but enjoyable nevertheles...

Due to a very long dry season there is a lack of food in the Northeastern part of Uganda called Karamoja.  The planting season has also passed and many people are without food and are in danger of sickness and starvation.  The following is a letter from our MAF Programme Manager asking for us to help out.  I have posted this on our blog in case any readers out there would like to help too.  I do have an email with photos of a trip that a MAF colleague made to the area.  If you are interested in receiving this then please let me know.  You can contact me at pam.wunderli@maf-uganda.org Dear friends,   Would you like to join me in showing some love and care to the villagers of Kodike? One of our customers, Fassy Israel, works for the Anglican Diocese as a Health Coordinator and has set up a local NGO called Mustard Seed. He wrote me a report on some of his work in the form of a very moving testimony from one of the older villagers. ...

Well the last 6 weeks have come and gone.  It doesn't seem that long ago that we were preparing for furlough and some holidays and now its gone.  We have hit the ground running in Uganda.  We arrived on Sunday and Simon was already doing preparation for a flight the day after.  Nothing stands still for long :) We had an interesting time on furlough with Joshua and his toe infection.  Thankfully he has recovered well and the wound has completely closed and is looking great now.  We are thankful for all the medical attention he was given and that God's timing was perfect again in that it took place in Switzerland. We managed to see quite a few people whilst in Switzerland although our time with Joshua in hospital changed plans a bit but we managed to meet all the commitments that were made and enjoy some time with some of Simon's family up in the mountains although a bit shorter than planned. We spent some time in Dubai with a friend en route back to Ug...

The doctor gave the all clear yesterday for Joshua to fly on Saturday.  We are thankful for answered prayers that Joshua is doing much better.  It will take a while for the wound to heal completely but we are grateful that the infection is gone.  He will have a small procedure tomorrow to remove some dead skin.  Pray that the local anaethestic works.  He is not good with pain :(.  It has been a learning process for him for sure. We are grateful to the hospital staff and insurance company for being so efficient and taking care of the situation.  We were glad it happened in Switzerland and we didn't have to make another trip to Nairobi if it had taken place in Uganda. Thankful also for Simon's parents who have helped out immensely too.  Also for the visits we have had with people here in Switzerland.  It has been good to catch up with those that partner with us and enable us to continue our work on the field. We leave on Saturday for...

Sorry for the delay with an update on Joshua but we did not have access to the Internet this week.  Joshua was discharged from hospital on Monday and is now an outpatient and goes to the hospital every second day to be seen by a wound specialist.  We headed up to the mountains on Monday as it was supposed to be our time away with Simon`s parents and his sister and her husband.  It was a beautiful setting and we enjoyed good weather.  Simon took him back to the hospital on Wednesday for his appointment (about 1 1/2 hours away).  He is progressing in the right direction and we are truly thankful for that.  He has been seeing a wound specialist the last two visits.  We are praying it heals well from the inside to the outside well.  He has done well overall now that the pain has subsided. We were able to obtain a wheelchair for Joshua which meant we could take him out and let him see something of Switzerland.  Joshua and I went up on a gondola ...

We are now in Switzerland on furlough.  Unfortunately two weeks into our furlough Joshua was in a lot of pain in his big toe.  We had been treating  his sore toe but it wasn`t getting any better.  Late last Thursday night Simon took him to A&E whereby he was admitted for an infection.  He has been on IV antibiotics since.  Yesterday a decision was made to operate on his toe and remove some of the infected part.  Joshua doesn`t do well with needles and anything associated with pain.  They had hoped to do the procedure by local anaesesthetic but Joshua really struggled so a decision was made to do it under general anaesethetic.  He went down to the Operation theatre at 1415 and was back up in his room by 1520.  He was a bit groggy for a while but soon recovered and was so happy not to feel any pain in his foot.  Simon and I have been taking turns at the hospital to be with him.  We are awaiting a decision from the Doctor...

This week Joshua and Zara were able to join a Vacation Bible School at a nearby Christian School.  The theme was the Armour of God.  They had a great time and learned a lot.  The team from Alabama did a wonderful job with the kids and all the resources they brought with them were truly a blessing.  Below was their presentation of the things they learned. The quality of the photos is not the best but enjoy anyway! :)

In less that two weeks we will be heading to Switzerland for our furlough.  We will be in Switzerland for one month and then return to Uganda.  Be in prayer as we wrap things up here in Uganda before heading out.  There always seems like there is quite a bit to do before you sit down on the plane and breathe a huge sigh of relief that you made it. This coming weekend we have a former pilot from MAF Uganda returning to help out over the summer months.  He will be staying in our house while we are gone.  We look forward to having Samuel back with us although we will miss having his family join him.  The week before we leave we will be having George and Luan Fellman stay with us before they head back to the States.  There have been too many goodbyes recently.  We look forward to more hellos in the near future :) Please pray for our furlough that it would be a good time of reconnecting with family, friends and supporters.  Pray that Joshua an...

Thursday was the last day of school for Joshua and Zara.  They were so ready for it as were many of their friends.  It feels good to have a couple of days to enjoy a less hectic schedule.  However, our furlough to Switzerland starts in two weeks and there is still much to do.  Hoping we will get everything done before we leave.  We have had a few "goodbyes" recently and they are not fun especially when its saying goodbye to best friends.  We had a few tears the other night when we had to say goodbye to our best friends here in Uganda.  Enjoy the photos below. Joshua having his last sleepover with his best friend, Joel, they love to invent things together.    Zara's last sleepover with Ruben.  They have been best friends since Ruben arrived from Tanzania almost 4 years ago.   At the farewell party...not easy! Hello's and the in between part is a lot of fun but the goodbyes are painful.   Memor...

Simon is enjoying being back flying again.  Here are some recent photos of him flying Sam Tsapwe and Jill Vine (MAF colleague) to one of the islands in Lake Victoria where he was going to be doing some ministry.  Thanks to Jill Vine for the photos :) Simon's view from his "office" and every day it is a different view.....doesn't get much better.  So grateful to the Lord for enabling Simon to do what he loves and for the healing he has experienced with his back. Simon unloading the C206 with all the supplies needed for Sam's trip which will include the necessary equipment to show the Jesus Film   The Fishing village

In May Joshua turned 10 and Zara turned 8.  Here are some photos of them at the "diving board" place in Entebbe where they wanted to go for their birthdays.  The 4 MAF kids with birthdays in May All the kids that came out to join in the birthday fun! Sorry you will need to turn your head for these videos not sure what happened :(

I am not sure where the time is going but I just said to some friends that it sometimes feel like I am on a continual rollercoaster.  Think I got off it this week though for a bit :)  I was encouraged by Matthew 11:30 and 1 John 5:3.  When God calls us to do something it is not burdensome.  We sometimes make our lives burdensome but that is not what God calls us to.  Good reminder when life gets hectic!! So the beginning of May saw Joshua turn 10.  We celebrated at a swimming pool, with friends, in Entebbe.  We had a great time and it is difficult to believe my wee lad is that old.  Zara turned 8 last week.  My wee princess is growing up fast and they are both a joy to our hearts.  I hope to post some photos at some point. We had some sickness this month with Joshua having gastroenteritis.  He was on a course of antibiotics for 5 days as well as some other medicine.  He is now back to normal and so we give thanks for t...

Last week Simon flew 10 hours in the plane below to pick up a sick worker from an organization called Every Village that works in South Sudan.  The patient had been sick for a while and was not responding to medication/treatment that he had been given.  Simon went up to Juba where he overnighted and then travelled onto where the man was located in the bush in South Sudan.  Simon said he looked pretty sick when he picked him up.  However, yesterday I talked with one of his colleagues here in Kampala and he said he is doing a lot better now and will be travelling back up to South Sudan on Monday.  In some situations MAF is definitely a life line to many people especially those living in the remote areas of the world.

Yesterday I was teaching a Bible study on how to study God's Word for yourself.  During our time one of the ladies in the group, whom we have known for a long time told us a conversation that she had with Zara in the garden.  This lady uses part of our garden to plant maize.  Zara loves going out and gardening together with *S*.  Anyway while they were both preparing the soil together to plant the seeds Zara started telling *S* the parable of the sower.  She also asked *S* if she knew if this maize was going to fall on rocky soil or good soil.  *S* said well we will know in 2-3 weeks if we see maize plants growing through the soil.  Then Zara asked her if she knew Jesus as her personal Lord and Saviour.  *S* said yes.  Then Zara said, great, then we will be neighbours in Heaven :)  *S* was amazed that Zara could tell the story so well and then be so bold to ask if she was a believer.  She said it showed...

We give thanks that Simon is continuing to do well in his recuperation.  He has started flying again and is enjoying his "office time in the sky".  He is still not doing the long days to Sudan but that will come in time.  It is so good seeing him back in the cockpit again and enjoying what God has called Him to for this time.  Thank you for your continued prayers for him. Please pray for Simon's Mum.  She has started chemotherapy again for cancer.  It has not been easy for her but we pray for God's sustaining hand during these days.  Pray for the side effects to be minimal and that the chemo would do its job and stop the cancer from spreading further.  We are glad that we will be home in Switzerland this year for furlough as it will be good to spend some time with Simon's parents.   Thank you for your prayers.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would co-teach, with a friend, a session on "Hearing God's voice through Scripture" at a Church retreat.  This is not our home church but an International church in Kampala.  It was a bit daunting at the first thought of it but I agreed to do it.  The event will happen this coming Saturday.  They are having a weekend long retreat but I will just go on the Saturday.  Please pray for this event that God would challenge the ladies in their spiritual lives and that they would be encouraged through what is shared.  Pray for Marieke and I as we lead this specific session that God would give us what we need to communicate well and be an encouragement to those that attend.  There will be around 60 ladies in attendance so not just a wee Bible study group :) Another friend contacted me today to say that the Scripture Union club that we are offering to teach again this term is already full with children.  There i...

It has been a while since I have posted any photos of Joshua and Zara of which I have no real excuse except I need to get my camera out more :)  Below are some photos we took in Jinja last week when we escaped from Kampala for a couple of nights.  Excuse the quality of them as we left without our camera and had to use our phones....maybe it was the excitement of being able to get away for a couple of nights that made us absent minded.  Anyway you can get an idea of some of the things we enjoyed together.   Looking forward to getting in the pool  Joshua and Zara were so happy that Simon could go swimming again with them.  They laughed and laughed.     Taking a water break by the lake before zooming through the villages again Joshua looks like a "boda boda" (motorbike taxi) driver in Kampala taking a nap on his motorbike Family picture of us all with the River Nile behind.  I had an issue with my helmet...