WUNDERLI WANDERINGS

Yesterday Simon was called upon to do a medical evacuation in Bunia, Congo. The person concerned had suffered a broken neck due to a motorbike accident. Amazingly enough the patient had a proper brace on to prevent his neck from being further damaged and was able to walk to the plane. Simon was medevacing him to Kampala for treatment but if the injuries were too great then he was to be sent onto Nairobi. Please pray for this young man that he would get the proper treatment and that there would be no further damage done to his neck. This is when we realise that MAF is vital in this country and in Congo and Sudan. To do a trip from Bunia to Kampala would be a very long ardous task even when you are well. To have a broken neck and travel the rough roads would be disasterous.

It is difficult to believe that almost 3 years ago Jacqueline (Friend and MAF co-worker) and I took over the running of the MAF guesthouse and completely revamped the ministry. This also meant moving it to a different location. Well change has happened and we are now stepping out of this ministry and into another (the next one isn't so clear yet :)) Jacqueline will be moving back to the UK with her husband, Adrian (Operations Manager) after three years with MAF Uganda. They still hope to be involved in MAF but in what capacity we are not sure yet. God has provided two other very capable ladies within MAF to take over the running of the guesthouse and we are looking forward to what God has planned. It has been a fun job and I couldn't have asked for a better co-worker. We have laughed a lot through these three years whilst working together and this, I think, has kept us sane as we have faced some very challenging problems and situations we couldn't have even dreamed of. On t...

This photo is taken at the top of Burj Khalifa, the highest building in the world......so far :) We were so hot by this time as we had walked from the metro station to the building in searing heat. Unbeknownst to us there was a bus that took us straight there. We learned the next time when we wanted to go to the Dubai Mall which is in the same area. Outside the Wafi shopping mall Dolphins following our boat in the Persian Gulf Zara and I enjoying the cool wind through our hair as we ride the dhow boat through the fjords in Oman. A stop for a bit of diving, swimming, snorkelling and floating A fishing village in Oman that can only be accessed by boat. Simon going native! Enjoying a trip to the desert What a view! Zara and I riding on a "ship of the desert" Zara enjoying the zip line at splashland...a good place to cool off in temperatures above 50 centigrade or 100+F Cooling off in Ibn Battuta mall where each area is distinctly designed into countries/regions such as Egy...

It has been a while since I have updated our blog. We have been on three weeks leave and travelled to Dubai to visit some friends. It was a fantastic holiday and I will upload some photos sometime this week. We just arrived back in Uganda yesterday so still trying to get readjusted to "normal" life again. We really appreciated the break we had and also catching up with old friends and making new ones. Many of you will have probably heard on the bombings in Kampala which happened on the final of the world cup. Thankfully none of our staff were hurt in the blasts although one relative of a staff member was killed along with at least one friend of a staff member. Since arriving back in Uganda we have noticed a tightning up of security with cars being checked at the entrance to shops aswell as our bags being checked. This is also due to the African Union conference which is taking place this week in Kampala. We have been asked to avoid busy places or any public gatherings ...

On arrival in Mvolo, Sudan it is good to find out where you will be sleeping The next important thing is water....start filtering guys! Just so you know that you are not alone....the distances to the neighbouring towns/villages. Building a new school The local parish church A health and hygience course being taught under the big tree.....who needs classrooms! Some local children...how can you resist those smiles. Then we have the older generation...a chat and a smoke what could be better :) A 1939 English outpost The Mvolo River...well so the locals call it. The very posh dining room with the sleeping quarters behind Showering facilites - top notch compared to some I have showered in :) Home Sweet Home....well for a night or two. The walk to the Radio Station. When the cotton soil gets wet its almost impossible to walk in. Aid Sudan's radio station mast A view from the top of the mast - Yes Simon climbed it! Anybody for lunch? - doesn't come much fresher... A settlement...y...

Adding to Zara's bacterial infection she has all the symptoms of Mumps. We think it could be a reaction to the innoculation she had last week. She has been in a bit of pain and her face swelled up quite a bit. She slept through the night last night which I was grateful for. We just need to wait for the swelling to go down. During the day she seems to be fine. Eating can be a bit of a problem as it hurts to eat but we hope to see some more improvement in the next couple of days. J and Z are excited to have Daddy home today. We hope to see him later this afternoon. He sms on the sat phone this morning to say that it rained during the night so the airstrip was a bit soft and wet. They were going to wait until it dried out a bit before taking off. Hopefully around lunchtime. It will be good to have him home again and hear all the stories and see all the photos. Thanks for praying for us this week. Jehovah Jireh...He has been our provider!

This week Simon is doing a 6 day charter for an organisation called Aid Sudan. He will be flying around 3 team members one of which, I believe, is the Director of the organisation who is doing a tour of all the bases. Simon flew on Monday to a place called Malualkon which is just south of Darfur and then will fly to Mvolo, Nasir and Torit which are further south in Sudan. These trips are often fun for pilots as they get to see what our passengers actually do when they leave the plane. They get to "hang out" with the team and participate in some of the ministries that are going on. Pray for safety for the whole team, for Simon as he flies and for good weather. I think he will enjoy my cooking when he returns as it sounded like he will be living on beans, rice and peanut butter sandwiches while he is there. I would value your prayers whilst we remain at home. I had to take Zara to the doctor yesterday as she was in pain on the side of her face. I could feel a lump under...