New Office Update

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

Pinewood Derby Winner

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 was so excited she could hardly contain herself.  It was a lot of fun to watch.

 

In amongst all of that there was a massive BBQ.  Simon was one of the guys grilling and he said he had never seen so much meat.  It just kept coming and coming.  We believe there were about 200 people there if not more.  It made our MAF BBQ`s look like a piece of cake.

 

The school did a great job putting it all together and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.  The joys of going to a different school and experiencing new things.

 

 

Where is "home"?

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 70% of what she said and the rest I filled in.  My ear had lost the knack of understanding someone from "home"

On occasion I have joked with someone and said that home is on the plane.  It is that period in between the two places you have lived.  Neither one is fully home but parts of them both make up home for us.

For those who know missionaries, support and pray for missionaries, who plan to visit a missionary, who want to encourage a missionary and understand them better then I encourge you to read this article. 

http://www.dahlfred.com/index.php/blogs/gleanings-from-the-field/747-why-missionaries-can-never-go-home-again

It will give you insight into what goes on in the head of a missionary.  Well, if you are brave enough to do that. :) 

Heroes

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 and break free from poverty."

For more information of how to get involved with such a project please see check out the website at http://www.freedomchurch.cc/heroes.  There is a short video and many photos for you to get a better idea of what is going on.

Maybe some of you reading this would like to get involved in working with these boys.  One of our Pastors told us that they need volunteer teachers, social workers to help with their education and rehabilitation.  Would you consider doing a short term/long term mission trip to be part of this.  If you are not a teacher or a social worker but would still like to be involved then please let us know.  There is always work to be done.

You can contact us on pam.wunderli@maf-uganda.org or simon.wunderli@maf.org

Family photos

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

 

Simon's different MAF hats

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 family is growing up

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.  :)

Who says we don't live in a beautiful country

 

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

Our family keeps growing....welcome to Farm Wunderli

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 use with all the baking we do in this house.  Also we are hoping our playful pup, Sox, gets used to them so when they start roaming around the garden she looks on them as friends rather than a tasty snack.

Simon is also looking to get turkeys and guinea fowl.  I thought I had married a Missionary Pilot and Carpenter but its looking more and more like a farmer also :)  but life is never dull.

Medical Evacuation that didnt quite happen...and lumberjacking :)

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 the leaves and branches.  We made a good start to it and have blisters to prove it (well Mum does).  Check out the photos below. The rest should be completed this week. :)

 

 Zara's Hideout

 

We have a wee firepot outside that we burn to keep the mosquitoes away when we sit outside in the evening.  This firewood will keep us going for a while.

 

We have a few avocado trees in the garden but they needed pruning because some of the ones up high were falling and breaking the tiles on the roof of the house.

 

 

I wonder what Simon is going to make out of this lot :)

Simon in action

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

More memories

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

 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. :)

It is officially happening...

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 70 staff, including national and international, in this programme by the time everyone arrives (we have new families still arriving).  Our programme is growing bigger and bigger.  Anyway below are some photos I took yesterday of the ground work that is being done.  Thanks to all who are involved in making it all work.

Drainage pipes have been laid and the preparation work is ongoing.  In the background you can see our newly built hangar (well it is still new to us)

Happenings within the MAF Uganda Team

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, to pray for those who are trying to stop the spread of this disease.  A challenging time ahead for many and to remember those who have already lost loved ones in recent weeks.

The flying in MAF Uganda has been a bit difficult the last three months or so.  Without going into too many details the CAA has canceled all international flights with operators working out of Uganda.  This has posed a nightmare challenge for the team here as we fly regularly into Congo and South Sudan during the course of a week.  We have had to put temporary measures in place to accommodate this challenge and so would value your prayers for the whole situation to be rectified soon.

Currently we have Samuel Wicky, a MAF short termer, staying with us for 3 weeks before his 6 month contract finishes.  He has been a real blessing to the IT team here and will be missed when he leaves.  Pray for him as he transitions back to Switzerland and starts a new job there.

Many of the MAF kids will be starting school this week after their holidays with others starting in two weeks time.  For some of them it will be the first time they will go to a school in Uganda and for others they will be starting a new school.  Please pray for smooth transitions for all and that we will adjust to the new schedule again.

Thank you for your continued prayer support, it makes a difference.

Back in our African home

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 wonderful weather the whole time we were there which meant we lived outside as much as possible.   J and Z were able to have bikes when we were home so they loved riding them any time they could.

In addition to spending time with the Scottish clan we also had a visit from Simon's Dad, sister, and brother-in-law.   They were able to see some of the sights of Scotland without rain which is always a bonus.  We were thankful for the time that we had with them and also for the time they were able to have with Joshua and Zara.

As always it is never easy saying goodbye and something you never get used to.    Thanks to my Mum also for hosting us during our time in Scotland.

Below are some photos of some of the fun things we were able to do with Joshua and Zara.

Time to get wet

 

Playing on Nairn Beach

 

Fort George

 

Joshua at the Culloden visitor centre learning about one of Scotland's many battles.  He enjoyed looking at all the weaponary.