Over the moon, under the stars and under the sea

Over the Moon

We had an amazing Christmas gift just before Christmas.  We were granted our 187 permanent residency visa for Australia.  A huge answer to prayer. Part of the letter is below.  We did not expect to see this until next year.  To say we are thankful is an understatement.  We are grateful to all those in MAF who made this possible.

20 December 2017

Simon WUNDERLI

P O BOX 1477

CAIRNS QLD 4870

Dear Simon WUNDERLI

Notification of grant of a Regional Employer Nomination (subclass 187) visa

A decision has been made on this application and visa(s) have been granted on 20

December 2017 to the applicant(s) listed in the attached visa grant notice.

Under the Stars

Simon had to do an airstrip evaluation and was able to take Joshua, Zara and Islay along for the experience.

Out in the bush in Australia

Joshua and Islay helping Simon measure the airstrip for an evaluation

Luxury accommodation for the night

Dinner anyone?

 

Zara wasn't going to be eaten by anything so took the mosquito net.

Africa or Australia?

Under the Sea

A day out on the Barrier Reef - An awesome gift from friends.

Our pontoon for the day including a BBQ

I got a bit of a fright in the water when a jelly fish floated by.  Thought my time might be up but thankfully I managed to dodge it and we were wearing stinger suits so all good.  At the back of the pontoon there was an amazing amount of jellies.   The crew on the boat said these were of the non stingy variety so that was happy news!

Zara having her last swim in the ocean before heading home.  The water was a bit churned up so didn't see a whole lot under the water but a thoroughly enjoyable time nevertheless.

The heat is cranking up

In the last couple of weeks the temperature and humidity has notably increased.  Mopping floors, vacuuming or some other necessary household task can reduce you to looking like you just got caught in a monsoon.  As I sit and write it is already over 30 degrees in the house and humidity is rising.  However, for all of you sitting in the northern hemisphere I am not jealous of your cold weather although maybe of the snow.

This past month has been eventful to say the least.  In my last update I mentioned that I went through an in depth process for the role of HR Officer in the MAF Cairns office.  I am thankful that I was accepted for the role and will start under the new terms and conditions in January.  Thank you to all of you who have been praying.  Along with that our new HR Manager will be starting this week after her induction in the UK.  We have been without an HR Manager for a number of months now so it has been quite the juggle managing the needs that are far and wide.  We are looking forward to having a new team member join us.

We seem to be managing Joshua's issue with diarrohea.  After a few conversations and time spent looking into the issue it appears that he has an issue with an amino acid called Tyramine.  Foods such as cured meat, aged cheese and sourdough bread, to name but a few seem to be the cause.  His body doesn't have the enzyme to break down this amino acid in big quantities.  If he has one food item on his plate containing this amino acid then it is fine but if he has multiple then it is a problem.  We are just so glad it is easy to manage and for the past few weeks he has had no further stomach issues.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us in this regard.

Joshua and Zara finished school last week and they were rejoicing at the much needed break after a busy first year in a new school.  Simon finishes this week with instructing and then is planning to scope out a new airstrip next week that could be used for training.  The plan is to take Joshua and Zara along and they can help with all the details that goes into planning and evaluating an airstrip.  Looks like they might be camping under the starts as it will be an overnight trip.  Islay, our puppy, might also get to go also and have a change of scenery from Cairns.  Thankfully she loves to go in the car.

Update on J and other news

As some of you will know Joshua has been having diarrhoea issues for a few months now.  We have completed a barrage of tests but nothing conclusive has shown up.  Last week, Simon and Joshua headed down to Townsville (4 hours south of Cairns) to meet with a specialist and to have an endoscopy done.  The specialist believes that Joshua issue is related to abdominal migraines.  We now need to get in touch with a dietician to see if food is a trigger for these migraines.  We are thankful that it is nothing more sinister and that there is a way forward in finding out the root cause.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us and especially Joshua.  It has been a long road in some ways but thankful that we have come this far.

My 6 month interim stint as HR Officer in the MAF Cairns office is coming to a close.  It has been quite the learning curve and I have had some amazing opportunities including delivering some training at the RMC (Regional Mangers Conference) last week as well as supporting some managers face to face whilst they have been in town.  Some of them I knew already and others only via skype and emails.  Great to be able to work with different people from all over the world.

After praying and talking it through with others I have put in my application for the permanent role that was being advertised.  Next week I will have two interviews and a presentation to do.  Pray that I will present my best during these meetings and that whatever the result may be will be good for MAF and our family.

A new addition to the family and other news

Islay

Since our last post we have had a new addition to our family, Islay, our 7 month old puppy.   We got her from a family who were fostering her for a rescue home.  She was very nervous and timid when we first got her and almost scared of her own shadow.  However, after being with us for two weeks now we are seeing a big difference in her confidence.  She is not so scared to go on a walk will play happily in the garden.  She loves all the attention she gets from us.  Good to see such a difference in a short space of time.

Guests

It has been a busy few months with guests.  In July we had Simon's sister and brother-in-law visiting us from Switzerland.  It was good spend time with them and explore parts of our local vicinity that we hadn't taken the time to do.  

Following that Nadia and Olivia Dick stayed with us whilst connecting with other friends in Cairns.  Nadia, Andrew and the kids were good friends of ours in Uganda and left a month after we did to return to New Zealand.  Olivia and Zara had fun catching up and loved the time together.  It was a fun time!

A week later a good friend of mine from Scotland, Lillian, stopped in for a few days on her way to New Zealand to visit with her sister and family.  It was good to reminisce about old times and also make new memories. We have had some funny moments over the years.

Last but not least my Mum, Aunt and Uncle are with us for a few weeks.  At the moment my Aunt and Uncle are off to tour New Zealand for a couple of weeks so they are making the most of their time on this side of the world.  Good to have family around and the extra help doesn't go amiss.

Simon

Simon has almost completed another Standardisation course.  It has been a busy period for him with training different pilots.  One is heading back to Uganda, one to PNG and two to Arnhem Land.  Great to see new pilots going out to serve with MAF.

Pray for Simon as he adjusts to more of a ground role than involved in operational flying.  It is quite the change for him.

Joshua 

Joshua has been struggling with some health issues on and off since we arrived in Australia.  He had an ultra sound today for one issue which came back clear.  So thankful for answered prayer.  Another test also came back clear but further investigations are required.  This means a bit of travel as the test can't be done in Cairns.  

I am sure he would value your prayers as he is tired of dealing with health issues and, at times, frequent trips to the doctors.  He is not the only one!

Zara

Thankfully she is doing well and although suffered with pharyngitis (as well as Joshua and Simon) a month ago she recovered well.  She is so enjoying having a dog in the family.  They are like best friends already.  Islay can't wait to play with her.  Joshua and Zara both missed having a dog around so there has been a lot of joy with our furry friend.

Pam

My 6 month stint with MAF is almost up and it has been a great experience, although challenging at times.  I have applied for the full time role and so interviews will happen at the end of this month.  We will see how God leads this one.

Just today I received my certificate from the Australian Institute of Coaching.  I am now officially a Professional Life Coach.   All the studying has been worth it and has come in useful in my role with MAF.

Visa Update

Give thanks that we are now on a bridging visa for the 187 which is a more permanent visa.  It won't fully come into play for another year but will help us in terms of receiving full medicare instead of partial which will help.  Simon will also be able to get into the system which will be a bonus.  

Prayers Answered

We give thanks that Simon received notification from CASA (Aviation Authority) that they have granted him a restricted flight license.  He has been given a VFR (visual flight rating) which enables him to continue in his role as a flight instructor in the standardisation department.  In the future he hopes to challenge the aviation authority and pursue the full license with IFR (Instrument Flight Rating) and night flying.  However, one step at time.  Grateful we have made it this far.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying through this situation with us.  It has been quite the rollercoaster but thankful that God has been with us on the rollercoaster.  So thankful that we don't do this alone!

"Wombat" Week

"Some days just have me looking like a Wombat"

This past week or so has had some folks in our family looking more like a wombat due to being unwell.  Joshua has had some issues over the last few months with diarrhoea which we are having looked into but no specific cause has been found yet.  He has now been referred to a specialist.

On top of that he came down with pharyngitis at the beginning of the week and has been really unwell.  After another trip to the doctor this morning showed that he is improving but will take time. In the meantime Zara has come down with it also and Simon is now coughing and has a sore throat. We are praying that they don't get it as bad as Joshua and that I can rise above it.

However, through all the ups and downs of sickness we have had friends visit and had some special times together which we have enjoyed a lot.  Thankfully they are still healthy and doing well and have not picked up our bugs.  I will try and post some photos at a later date.  Time to do my rounds at the Wunderli "hospital".

Aussie Update

I used to think that when we lived on the Equator time went super fast but it seems in the southern hemisphere it is no different.

Some of you have been asking for an update on Simon's eye test the other week.  Sorry it has taken me so long to post an update.  He flew down to Brisbane and rented a car to drive to the clinic where he was to have the eye test.  Unfortunately he didn't pass this test either.  You may be wondering what does that mean for him and flying.  At this point we are not sure.  We are waiting to hear back from CASA and that could take some time.  Meanwhile life continues and Simon started his next course.  He will be taking a Indian lady through MAF's four week Standardisation course so that she can fly in our Northern Territory programme here in Australia.  He will be doing the same with a South Sudanese man who, in time, will return to South Sudan to fly all going well.  We might be in Australia but we continue to get to work cross culturally across more than just the Aussie culture.

Last Thursday we said goodbye to Simon's two sisters and brother-in-law who were visiting us from Switzerland.  It was fun to have them here and see parts of our neighbourhood that we haven't even seen yet.  This included snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef.  I am still amazed that we had the opportunity to do this even although it is on our door step.   We also visited some wildlife parks.  Normally we are on the lookout for lions, buffalo, leopards and elephants but this time it was crocs, koalas and different birds.

On one of our road trips as we were about to cross a bridge we noticed a group of people standing looking into the water.  Curiosity got the better of us so we stopped too only to find a very large crocodile on the opposite bank taking a snooze and a slightly smaller one in the water that would appear now and again.  Some guys were tempting it with a chicken on the end of a stick however there were no bites that day.

Below are some photos of our time together with family.  It was a special visit and we look forward to the next time.

Where are those turtles?

Shall I try standing next?

Who can spot Nemo?

Monika and Therese with "Crush"

Chillin on the beach...

Monika went along as a passenger on Simon's instruction flight.  Good practice for the student in passenger management :)

The girls just couldn't beat the boys!  Dani took the checkered flag each time!

Joshua making friends with a black parrot who squacked non stop

Zara and her furry koala friend Codi who just happened to pee right at that moment!

Colour Deficiency Update

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Simon regarding his colour deficiency issue.  As mentioned before he failed his colour test with CASA and has now been referred for another test in Brisbane on the 2nd August.  Thankfully, CASA has not banned him from flying but have issued him with a restricted pilots license which enables him to continue in his training role with MAF

We are praying that it all comes together and the issue can be sorted out.  Another pilot that Simon works with has a similar colour deficiency and he is able to fly with no restrictions.  Just need to work through the red tape on this one.

Thankful  for your prayers as we navigate the challenges of living in another culture.  Life continues to keep us on our toes.

Aussie Update

The last couple of months have continued to be a whirlwind for us.  Between work, studying, school and training the days and weeks have just sped by.  

I  have just returned from the airport this morning as Simon needs to fly down to Townsville for an eye test.  We found out this week that the medical that was done in Kenya and the subsequent FAA waiver that Simon has for his colour deficiency has not been accepted by CASA (Aviation Authority in Australia).  They have asked him to do a further test.  He was on a early flight this morning and has an appointment at lunch time.  To be honest we are not that hopeful of him passing this test as the testing is very similar to one he did in London a number of years ago which he failed.  However, we can always pray for a miracle.  I will keep you updated as to the results.

Arnhem Land

A few weeks ago Simon was up in Arnhem Land for a week getting checked out on the caravan.  MAF serves aboriginal communities in this remote area of Australia through flights, outreaches and technology services.  You can find out more by visiting their website http://www.maf-arnhemland.org/maf-arnhem-land/

Simon enjoyed being back in the caravan again and the plan is for him to help out in this programme in between the standardisation courses that he will be teaching.

Simon flew from Cairns to Gove Airport in Nhulunbuy.  Can you find it on the map? :)

MAF's hangar at Gove Airport in Arnhem Land

A view out the cockpit

I have been busy in the MAF office here in Cairns working in the HR department.  The department serves Arnhem Land, PNG, Bangladesh, Timor Leste and Mynamar along with the needs of the support office in Cairns and the Flight Training Centre in Mareeba.  Due to a shortage of staff the responsibilities have been shared far and wide in order to ensure that there is enough support for the programmes.  Next week we will be having interviews for one of the vacancies.  Pray for the right person to fill this slot.

Joshua and Zara are doing fine.. Their second term at school went well and are adjusting to the ways of doing things here in Australia.   We just returned from a camping weekend with friends.  We had a good time together and the kids were sorry to see the time come to an end.  I will post photos at some point.  They are still on holiday this week and have some fun things planned.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

A new challenge

As many of you know I have been doing a Certification in Life Coaching to add to the qualifications I already have in Member Care.  I have enjoyed the course and hope to complete it in one more month. I have been already looking at opportunities for me to use what I have been learning and had a few conversations over the last weeks.

However, there has been some changes in the HR Dept here in MAF Australia.  Due to this there is a need for more staff members.  After an informal chat it became apparent that I could help in the interim and so discussions became more formal.  After discussing job profiles, contracts and agreements I will start on Tuesday, 30th May as HR Officer.  This will be for a time period of 6 months.  I am looking forward to the challenge and know I will be kept very busy.

The role is varied and many of the tasks will be new.  However, I am thankful for the experiences I have had in MAF Uganda which will help me in this new role here in Australia.  I look forward to joining the team here in Cairns.

I would value your prayers as it will be a big change for us all but thankful to have the family behind me and do their part to make this work.

Koala Moments

After living half of your life as an expat, and Australia being the fifth country you have lived in, it would be understandable if you sometimes feel like the koala in the picture above.  When cultural fatigue hits like a freight train, and it does, the only recoil is to sit on the proverbial branch and close your eyes for a bit.

This past year has been huge for our family in more ways than one.  As we adjust to our new “home” we often just have to have “Koala” moments.  A time to just be gentle on ourselves and realise it is going to take time to adjust to our new “normal”.  There are many reminders during the day that show us that Australia is not yet home and it will take a while.  We are the new round pegs trying to fit into a square hole and it just doesn’t work.  However, there will come a time when the round peg and the square hole will accept each other’s differences and will live comfortably side by side.

Cultural moments

On Saturday morning when I went to the servo (gas station, petrol station, filling station, or whatever else you might call it depending on your location and culture) and asked the man behind the counter for some ice for our esky (cooler box, chilly bin).  He looked at me and said I don’t understand.  I, of course, repeated it multiple times and still had the deer in the headlight look.  He asked the other customer “do you know what she is saying?” and he said “I have no idea”.  Then thankfully understanding came and he said “oh, you want some ice”.  Oh the relief, he got it.  I wondered if I had spoken in Chinese for a split second and that is why he couldn’t understand me.  Then to top it all when I was paying he said to me “are you local?”  I said I live locally but I don’t have the accent.  At which point he said I will give you locals rate then for your diesel.  We laughed at the irony.

Another day whilst in the local supermarket I was checking out at the self-check-out.  They have pictures on the display so it is usually easy to figure out what button to push for the vegetables and the fruit.  However, on this day I had a courgette but I couldn’t find the right button to push and the pictures weren’t helping.  It must be a zucchini then but no it wasn’t under “Z” either.  Thankfully, there was a helpful lady who saw my dilemma as I stared at the screen for probably too long without pressing any buttons and she told me what it was.  I think she said it was a marrow but can’t quite remember as she then proceeded to tell me what other vegetables are called that might not be so familiar in name.  I now know why we used picture books for one year olds to teach them what things are. (haha)

How to cut grass in Australia…..  Now you would think cutting the grass would be simple.  However, it takes time to figure out what patch of grass is yours and what part isn’t.  We were noticing people cutting grass but then leaving parts of it at one end.  Why would you do this?  Until you realise you are only responsible for the grass up to the imaginary boundary line of your property.  If there is still a couple of square metres of grass beyond that then you can leave it and it belongs to the neighbours.  I just found out recently that we haven’t been cutting our square metre on one side as I thought it belonged to the neighbor.  However, they have gone beyond the call of duty in these last months and cut it for us and we have been doing a bit extra on the other side.  Oh the things you learn.

The word “visa” gives a bit of a sinking feeling in the stomach when it is mentioned.  In the last 20 years or so I have been on a visa that gave me refugee status, a student visa, a dependents pass visa and now one that is affectionately called, according to some people online, “the slave visa”.  After all the craziness of the last months of trying to figure out visa issues the government is revamping the immigration system and the visa we are now on no longer exists.  It has been replaced by a newer one.  Thankfully, we will continue on the old 457 until it runs out in 4 years and hopefully, by then, we will have graduated onto a different one which will be more permanent.

There are many more stories that we could tell as we adjust to this country but this gives you a taster.  To end I will give you a bit of a laugh and insight into some Aussie words that we have been hearing along the way:-

Rellie’s – Relatives

Ripper – Great

Servo – Petrol Station

Thongs – Cheap rubber sandals

Rash vest – swim shirt

Togs - Swimsuit

Ute – Utility vehicle

Rego – Vehicle Registration

Arvo or Sarvo – Afternoon

Bikkie – Biscuit

Brekkie – Breakfast

Lollies -  Sweets or candy

True Blue -  honest and trustworthy

Avos -  Advocado

BYO – Bring your own

Chook -  Chicken

Chrissie – Christmas

Docket – Receipt

Dux – Top of the class

Reckon – Do you think so?

Kindie – Kindergarten

Freshie – Freshwater Crocodile

Saltie – Saltwater crocodile

Having fun with friends

Lake Eacham, Crater Lake National Park with no stingers (jelly fish) or crocs.....bonus!!!

The boys

Our Princess enjoying the great outdoors

Joshua enjoying the antics of Benjamin and warming up again after a cool dip in the lake.

Zara taking a leap

We have a flight instructor in the house

This week Simon completed all requirements to fulfill his role as a Standardisation Flight Instructor and has now been helping to teach two of the students.  These students, when they have successfully completed the course, will head out to serve in one of MAF's Programmes somewhere in the world.

Continue to pray for Simon as he settles into this new role and all that that means.  We look forward to what God has in store for him in this new job.

Thanks again for all your prayers!!!!!

More exams and other things

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Simon throughout these months of studying, tests, exams and practicals.  These past two weeks he has been studying and doing training specifically related to his role as a Standardisation Flight Instructor.  He has been working every hour he can before the examiner comes up from Brisbane next week.  Pray for him to keep persevering and taking in all that he needs to in the remaining days.  It is taking days and nights to make this work.

Joshua and Zara are finished with school for the holidays.  They are enjoying homework free days and time to do different things.  We are hoping to go camping with friends at the end of next week and explore life outside of Cairns.  Pray for a good time together, time to relax and celebrate Simon being finished.

Thanks to all of you who pray for us, we appreciate it.  Transition can be a challenge!

Cyclone Debbie

For the last few days we have been keeping an eye on the brewing cyclone out in the coral sea.  We were told to buy water and other basics to be somewhat prepared in case it headed our way. Simon and I headed to our local supermarket on Friday night while the kids were at Youth Group. It was amazing to walk through some of the aisles and see empty shelves.  If you wanted bread then you would have been disappointed as there wasn't any and bottle water was definitely in demand.

The cyclone ended up tracking south of us and so we have escaped the effects of the storm.  Unfortunately those a bit further south are really suffering now that the storm has reached land.  I am sure you will have seen the news reports as news comes in from the different areas.

Thanks for all those who were checking in on us.  We are all fine although we are slowly dissolving into puddles with the intense heat and humidity.  I am beginning to wonder what it feels like to be dry. It was almost 40 degrees in our house today and outside in the sun it felt hotter and then add in some significant humidity and you have quite the experience.  However, I would take that over a cyclone any day.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-28/bom-warning-cyclone-debbie-hours-from-hitting-north-queensland/8391174

Ups and Downs

This past week there was sickness in the Wunderli household.  Joshua was laid out for a few days with a flu/cold bug that seems to be going around school.  He was pretty miserable over the weekend and into the beginning of the week but was able to go back to school yesterday.  He seemed to cope fine.  It appears that Zara has the start of it but hopefully it won't be as bad as Joshua.  Simon and I are hoping that we don't catch it at all.

My love of dentists is not very high (nothing personal if you are a dentist and reading this) and so with having a couple of old fillings removed, running around getting x-rays done and then having to get one of my wisdom teeth out  this morning I am now hoping for some breathing space from the dentist chair. |However, I  have to say that my experience in Australia has been a good one and God was kind in that the dentist was actually from Scotland so there was a rapport right from the start.

I am leaving the good news till last though.  While I was in the dentist chair having my wisdom tooth plucked out Simon was sitting another exam.  This time it was his flight instructor one and he passed. He has a practical to do at some point and then that should be it for a while.  He was on a course all last week and now has assignments to complete.  He is just over halfway through with a few more long days of studying ahead but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

We give thanks to all of you who continue to cover us in prayer.  As we have said before it has been quite the rollercoaster ride before we came to Australia and since we have been here.  However God has been faithful and so we take each day as it comes.  The verse below sums it up well.

Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible (AMP)

I can do all things (which He has called me to do) through Him who strengthens and empowers me (to fulfill His purpose - I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace)

Sunday afternoon

What do you do on a Sunday afternoon when you are tired of unpacking boxes and organising?  Well you take to the beach and try your hand at fishing.  I think the fish knew we were amateurs so stayed clear but one day we will get a bite on our line.

A lovely afternoon at Holloways Beach

Did I catch a fish....no not this time!

Try try again.....

We have a home not just a house

After packing up our home in Uganda almost 4 months ago we have finally received our belongings. Our house definitely feels more like home now and it didn't take Zara long to make her bedroom how she likes it.

We did come across some things that were meant to stay in Uganda or be thrown out but the packers were very enthusiastic and we didn't catch them in time.  However, it was only small things so "no dramas" as they say here.

Thank to all of you who prayed that we would see our things on the other side of the world.  So far we haven't found anything that was broken in transit or lost so that is amazing.

Our belongings really made it

The unwrapping begins

Now where to put everything???

Time to put the shelves together...

One happy girl...bear survived the trip!

HE PASSED!!!

I dropped Simon off at the airport for his exam this morning at 8:30am.  The exam was 40 questions and 3.5 hours long.   After hours of study he came out the exam with a 90%.  Lots of joy in our house tonight.  Another hurdle cleared and off to face the next one.  Thanks to those of you who keep praying for us.  The last few months have been seriously crazy but we are learning to take one challenge at a time or trying to.

Tomorrow morning our shipment arrives from Brisbane.  It will be funny to have a sofa again to sit on, beds to sleep in, a dining room table to eat from, washing machine and all the other things we packed 4 months ago.  Having said that I will miss my frequent trips to Tree Tops (Guesthouse where we first stayed on arriving in Australia) to do our laundry and have theological discussions over folding clothes or learning about someones experience of living in the bush in PNG.  Might need to find some excuse to make a visit once in a while.  J and Z are also going to miss swimming in the pool too!!!

Joshua and Zara had their swimming gala today at school.  Zara got first place in her two races and Joshua came second.  Their house - "Crocs" won the gala so they were excited to share the news when they returned from school.

We were also looking at moving house but this has not worked out.  After various conversations with a property agent, migrant specialist, lawyer and others it looks like it will be better, for now, to stay where we are until we upgrade our visa status.  That will take just under a year to process.  We are still rejoicing in getting our 457 visa so the 187 will just need to wait for a bit.

I will post some photos of our shipment when it arrives.  Hopefully all in one piece.  It is going to feel a lot like Christmas!!!!

Thankful for a breakfast bar

We are thankful for this breakfast bar.  This is a multi purpose unit.  It is where the meals get made, the homework gets done and the flight planning happens for the following days flight. 

Tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd) is Simon's next flight exam.  We are praying that he passes the first time although he has been warned this is the most difficult of them all and that it is not unusual to fail the first time.  Tomorrow we will know.