Thursday 11 November 2010

Doughnuts in the jungle!

It seems strange to have come all this way, head into the dense Borneo rainforest to then be served fresh, sugared doughnuts - but this has happened a number of times - and very nice they’ve been too! (I ate three today, one after another sitting by the side of the airstrip at Long Lebuson).

Last night we stayed overnight in the village of Long Nawang, one of the furthest locations the pilots fly to from Tarakan. The village sits on the bank of a fast flowing river, the jungle surrounding it. It is slightly better developed than other villages, and has quite a history in relation to American missionaries, the Dutch and then Japanese troops. We interviewed numerous people there who have benefitted from MAF’s services and, once again, the gratitude is great.

Today we joined Chris Desjardine at Long Lebuson where he was installing an aerial for a high frequency radio there. Without it the pilots have no way of knowing what the airstrip and weather conditions are like until they fly over it (it took us 1 hour 20 mins to fly back from there to Tarakan in the caravan). The aerial wires were erected on the tallest bamboo poles I’ve ever seen; we estimated about 12 metres high.

It’s now my final night here before I head home. It’s been a good trip and we’ve gathered plenty of material. The challenge now will be to bring it to life in print and film . . . but I’m up for that!

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Boys and their toys!

Part of the purpose of my visit to Kalimantan is to capture film and imagery of MAF’s work here. Monday was therefore committed to obtaining action shots of the Kodiak in the interior. The guys were looking forward to a great day!

And how many guys were there? Five! The pilot, of course, plus two other pilots (who are into photography and filming), a MAF UK volunteer videographer (who also happens to be a pilot), and a photographer. Put these guys together with a plane, and numerous cameras and what can I say? They did have a great day! And with four different cameras trained on the plane, we’ve got some good material.

One thing I love about my job is the challenge of writing in a way that brings things to life for the reader. I will, however, spare you a description, from this hot and humid day, of sharing the limited and enclosed cabin space of the Kodiak with these chaps....(at times an assault on an English lady’s sense of smell)!

Once finished in the interior, the action continued. We headed back to Tarakan and, with it being a beautiful day, had just enough time to get airborne again, this time with eight pilots in the air (plus the videographer) and four planes – the grand caravan, the Kodiak and two 206s (one with the door removed for filming and photography). David Holsten was keen to get a generational shot of the different aircraft flying together in formation. I was impressed, both with the planning and precautions outlined in the briefing before we flew, and in the ‘choreography’ in the air. The planes were flying closer than I expected, the reason for having so many pilots involved – in each plane a pilot in command, and a second one committed to watching the instruments the whole time for safety purposes. We also captured air to air footage of the Kodiak, the light being perfect as the day drew to an end.

So, a different day, but a memorable one where the guys had plenty of fun (and so did I).


Photos:

Top photo: Left to Right - Layton Thompson (photographer), David Holsten (MAF pilot and Programme Manager), Jonathan Binnie (volunteer videographer and helicopter pilot), Dave Forney ( MAF pilot), and Paul College (MAF pilot)

Just above: Aerial photo taken from the caravan with Kodiak in the foreground and the 206s.

Monday 8 November 2010

Vision, energy and unity

It’s the beginning of another week - hot and humid once again. We’ve got some good stuff planned for the coming days, but I won’t spoil the surprise – you’ll have to wait!

One thing that has really struck me about this team is its vision, energy and unity. There is a very strong focus on relationship, not just as a team, but with the people they serve. Each year pilots are allowed to fly their wives and families into the interior to stay in a village and meet the people. It’s totally inspiring for them, and helps keep the passion alive for the mission the families have committed to together. The ultimate impact of what MAF does is often hidden, even from the pilots - dropping passengers at the airstrips and then flying on. The policy this programme has in place ensures that it doesn’t remain hidden to them.

People are at the heart of MAF’s mission! Having met some of the pastors in the interior, it’s very clear that they really appreciate not just the flying service but the MAF pilots and families as well. Someone commented how pastors and pilots mutually encourage each other in the work they’re engaged in – this speaks volumes to me, and takes my thoughts down the route of how taking God’s love to the ends of the earth is totally team work. Team work with God; team work between believers; team work across organisations and nationalities….. I love it! I love how these guys come along side others, caring for them, helping in whatever way they can, making it easier for others to do their part in the great commission.

Friday 5 November 2010

Fellowship, chinese food and antics

Thursday, and we return from a day in the interior having roasted in the hot sun and humidity – it was intense. My colleagues resembled lobsters by the end of the day.

I spent the day with the Kodiak, doing a first landing into an airstrip at Long Padi, a 535m strip at an elevation of 2600’. Having established that it was Kodiak friendly, the pilot, David Holsten, proceeded to load up 30kg sacks of rice in stages (well the villagers did the loading) and David did some test take offs and landings, slowly increasing the weight. Long Padi has had a good rice harvest, but the villagers of Long Layu, Paupan and Rungan are dangerously short of rice, their crops having been destroyed by a series of pests – rats, bats and worms. By the end of the day we’d transferred 860kg of rice from Long Padi to Long Layu. Once the word was out, those sacks of rice disappeared very rapidly in Long Layu, various members of the villages arriving on motorbikes or with wheelbarrows to transport the rice home.

After that we headed to another village close by, where Dave and his family have established a strong friendship with a local family, and where a late lunch of local produce awaited us. By then the clouds had gathered and the rain came down, making it a little more difficult to interview people – our hostess, the village pastor and another representative from the village – with the rattle of heavy rain on the corrugated roof. However, it was interesting to see how rapidly the storm clouds gathered following a blazing hot day – something pilots have to allow for and work around if they’ve not exited the interior early enough.

The evening saw all the international couples out at a local Chinese restaurant for dinner and then worship, prayer and Bible study (on this occasion, a filmed seminar on "Laughing Your Way to a Healthy Marriage"). This team is particularly good at an adapted ‘Mexican wave’. All was calm and merry when what someone had said was a shrew snuck out from under the air-conditioning unit. In fact it was a rat, and it proceeded to run under the chairs down one side of the table - (where probably about 10-15 people were sitting) – so started a rapid wave motion from top to bottom of the table, with much commotion. The rat is now resting in peace.

That’s all for now.

Stephanie

Thursday 4 November 2010

Blue noodles and a steep airstrip!



Today I ate blue noodles for the first time in my life, and landed on an airstrip the majority of which is at a 23% incline.

It was a long day, not too unusual when flying in one of the programmes.

The weather delayed us a bit at the beginning. The pilots checked how things stood at the numerous destinations we were heading to, as there’s no point even making a start until they can be fairly sure they can touch down there. Once we received confirmation it was OK the pilot, Dave Forney, and I climbed into a C206 and headed off to collect our first passengers.

Some snippets of info from the day:
• As you take off from Tarakan you immediately fly over a whole load of shrimp ponds along the coast, shrimp being the main export from here. The general effect of the ponds, with the brown rivers snaking between them, is quite artistic from the air. Note to self – must get aerial shot of plane over artistic shrimp ponds!
• Once over the interior the terrain is rugged mountains completely covered in dense jungle which stretches into the distance as far as you can see. Absolutely stunning! As you look down it’s very clear why MAF is flying here – overland travel would take ages (our first passengers flew for just over an hour – it would have taken them 2-3 months overland by foot and boat, a journey which wouldn’t even be considered)
• Landing and taking off from Metun airstrip which is mostly at a 23% incline is pretty cool! You touch down on a short section which is at a 5-6% incline, which then quickly increases to a 23% incline, then there’s another more level bit, and then the final sharp incline before coming over the top of a ridge where the plane parks. The view from the top is stunning – across lush dense green vegetation to blue mountains in the distance….but I’m meant to be talking about planes, rather than getting distracted by scenery! The take off from there was fast, the airstrip being only 365 metres, so Dave gave the plane plenty of kick (not sure if the proper word is throttle, but hopefully you get the idea) before we popped over the top ridge and rushed down the sharp incline. I momentarily had that roller-coaster experience when you hold your breath having not quite expected what you’re experiencing.
• Has anyone seen ‘Airmen and Headhunters’? If so, we flew straight over the place where the airmen had to bail out during World War II – dense jungle of course.

I spoke with Pastor Henry, one of our passengers, who is working in Data Dian. He shared: ‘We’re the smallest of villages in the area and without MAF no one else would care for us. As a servant of God ministering here it would probably be impossible to be here without MAF’ – his enthusiasm was visibly evident.

More flying planned for Thursday.

That’s all for now, except to say that the blue noodles were for lunch – I was advised not to ask why they were blue, so I didn’t!

Stephanie

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Stephanie arrives in Kalimantan!

I have arrived in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, via three different flights and three days of travel. I’m a bit tired now, and jet lag is clouding my head! It’s 7 hours ahead of the UK.

I’ll be here for nearly 2 weeks. I’ll be based in Tarakan, where MAF has a base with 6 planes. One of these is the Kodiak which toured the UK last autumn before it headed into operation. My reason for visiting is to see the plane in action and report on the impact its making. The programme also has two float planes based down in Palangkaraya.

First impressions: it’s very warm and humid and very green. Today there was plenty of cloud cover and it rained heavily early morning. When we headed to the hangar there was a stunning rainbow – had we been only moments earlier it would have been a great photo, arching over the Kodiak sitting on the apron with stormy clouds adding a bit of drama.

Only 2 of the six planes in Tarakan are operational at the moment – the others are down for maintenance, though the grand caravan should be back in operation tomorrow having just had a biannual inspection of the undercarriage completed today (whole under-carriage removed for a thorough check).

While I didn’t join any flights today, the Kodiak did transport the body of a young boy (13-14 years old) and his family to his home village for burial. He had had a heart defect since birth, and previously had heart surgery after which there were no more problems. Then just a few days ago he’d developed problems in his arm and pain in his head. He was brought to the hospital here in Tarakan where he was for three days before he died. It was upsetting to see the coffin be carried out over the apron and carefully loaded into the Kodiak, some of our national staff securing it with straps to one side at the back – you sense just a minute fraction of the pain and heartbreak of the parents. The parents and two others accompanied the coffin on the flight. School children were there to meet the plane when it landed. Here it’s really important for people to be buried in their home villages, so for MAF to assist in the transportation of bodies for funerals is an act of compassion, coming alongside the relatives and communities at a time of pain.

A kind of motto of the programme here is: ‘Serving communities; supporting the church; showing compassion’. Relationships are at the heart of what the team are doing. They intentionally invest in relationships with the village communities they fly to, and with people here in Tarakan. In Tarakan about 80% of the population are Muslim, with animism mixed in, some Buddists and Hindus. In the interior about 90% are Christians.

Had dinner with Brad and Rebecca. Brad shared how on one occasion he had the challenge of checking for a passenger’s pulse while flying the plane. Another time they were having drinks down on the beach here in Tarakan when a man came out of the water carrying a girl (approx 12 years old) by her ankles. She’d been sucked under the water and drowned, and the man was carrying her upside down to try and drain out the water. Having had first aid training Brad went and assisted and the young girl was saved. No one else present knew what to do to save her.

Plan to do some flying tomorrow so hope to let you know more after that.

If you have any questions do send them this way and I can see what I can find out.

Bye for now

Stephanie

Friday 13 August 2010

First time in Australia - thoughts from Gary Colvin Head of HR.

Week 3 and I am just about to board a plane back to the UK. This last week I have been at Treetops in Cairns. Treetops is a joint guest house run by MAF and Wycliffe. It is often used by missionaries from different organisations who work in countries in this region for short breaks. It is in a beautiful location with access to the beach and other amenities. I have been here for meetings with other members of the MAF International Human Resources track: Gene Jordon (MAF US), Annie Russell (MAF Africa region), Mark Outerbridge (MAF Canada) and Alrena Martis (MAF Asia Pacific). MAF across the world is seeking to work together more closely in a number of ‘tracks’ to enable sharing of resources and to improve efficiencies. We have spent the week looking at a range of issues from the layout of application forms, the content of induction and orientation courses, standardisation of pilot testing, Knowledge Management, pastoral and members care, and the development of staff. It seems like a world away from the excitement of my recent experiences of medical evacuations, or landing vital supplies and church workers in remote locations often in hazardous flying conditions. Yet those of us in the home staff are passionate about raising up an army of supporters who pray and contribute financially where possible. Along with the HR team role in Folkestone and other supporting countries we are recruiting staff who are called by God, have the technical skills and will fit into the various MAF programs around the world. We are the backroom boys – the support staff to all the operational programmes.

My visits to Arnhem Land and Papua New Guinea have reminded me of the importance of what I am engaged in. My part in the MAF vision of bringing physical and spiritual hope to remote communities through aviation. As a supporter you are vital in MAF throughout the world fulfilling this mission. We need your prayers in the MAF supporting offices around the world that we will be faithful in all we seek to do in raising support in prayer, funding and finding the right people to fill the much needed vacancies in operational programmes. Pray for our Boards and leaders, particularly in the international work of MAF, that they will make wise decisions to enable MAF to have an impact for remote communities around the world.

Tuesday 3 August 2010

First time in Papua New Guinea - thoughts from Gary Colvin Head of HR

Second week and I am now in Papua New Guinea (PNG). A real contrast to the spiritual darkness of Arnhem Land. In PNG most of the population would call themselves Christians. However the church is described as a mile wide and an inch thick. There are dozens of churches in Mount Hagen which is the main MAF base in PNG. The country is stunningly beautiful with high ranges of hills, lush vegetation where anything will grow. The colours of the flowers by the roads are like your local garden centre. Yet to get from A to B could not more clearly show the need for MAF. On a flight with pilot Michael Bottrell we flew to a remote community to pick up 2 ladies who were having complications in their pregnancy. It took us 6 minutes to take them to Mount Hagen where they could go to hospital. Can you believe that it would have taken them 2 days to walk if they had not gone by air! Made that long as they could not pass through the territory of a neighbouring community as they were at odds with them and may risk attack. Today I flew to a community on Aeu for a medical airlift. A lady had tried to escape from her husband but relatives had caught her and stabbed her with a machete. The result was that her arm was in need of urgent medical attention. We had a doctor on board who was able to check that she was OK to fly.

Pray for the MAF staff here who fly in a breathtaking country that hides deep valleys, unexpected cloud formations that can make flying a challenging ministry. Pray for Michael and Nicki Duncalfe (from UK). Nicki has a key role in inducting new MAF international staff and their families. Michael is the Crew Training Competency Manager and is covering for the role of ATC Manager involving the training of new pilots. I will be flying with him all day on Thursday in a Twin Otter, the largest twin engine plane in the PNG Programme.

Yours
Gary

Monday 2 August 2010

First time in Australia - thoughts from Gary Colvin Head of HR.


I am currently visiting the MAF Arnhem Land programme of the Asia Pacific Region. Arnhem land is in the Northern Territories and is in a remote location. It can only be reached by 500 miles of dirt road which is cut off during the rainy season or by plane or sea. All supplies for staff and the programme are delivered by sea barge that takes several days to arrive – definitely not next day delivery! The MAF programme is providing flights for many different organisations who are seeking to develop the indigenous Aborigine population. The land mass is huge – about the size of the UK yet the population of the area is numbered in only tens of thousands. The need is tremendous both physical and spiritual. The Aborigine people are animists by tradition and follow a lot of occult practices. It is hard to get to know them as you have to be ’invited to their family first’. Aborigines live in small communities and a few MAF pilots are based with a plane in these communities seeking to be a witness. Some have Aborigines have come to Christ but sadly many place an emphasis on their traditional animist beliefs first when difficulties in life arise. I have been privileged to fly with a number of MAF pilots to deliver vital supplies to outlying districts and to transport teachers to schools. There are huge educational needs in this area. Pray for the 40 plus MAF staff here to know God’s protection in a spiritually oppressive place; To know encouragement in the day to day ministry of flying, servicing the planes and being part of the local churches and various outreach projects; For Doug Miles the Programme Manager who took up the role in April.

-Gary

Thursday 11 February 2010

Today's flight...

...unfortunately couldn't fit me in but it took far more useful people instead - 3 Rotary doctors during a voluntary 6-week stint at Garissa hospital.

This is something that MAF has supported from many years - the rotation of doctors going to and from Garissa. The doctors really provide expertise and a boost to staffing levels there, and are vital in training and equipping the local doctors and medical workers to eventually be able to fully run the hospital there.

I hear that the hospital is quite good for local standards, although teleport it to the UK and one might think differently!

Tomorrow afternoon is my return flight back to the UK, marking the end of what has been a great two weeks in Africa, and one with memories to cherish.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

In the southern hemisphere!

I am now in Kenya after a long flight south in the MAF plane from Juba. And now in the southern hemisphere for the first time. Not that anyone finds that interesting other than me, but it's a small milestone! I'll have to watch the water go down the plughole to see if it really does circle the other way...sad, aren't I!

And as always, the MAF plane I joined was well utilised, and there were many people from various organisations returning back from Juba. These included Medair staff - Medair are a medical mission that provides primary healthcare in some of the remotest parts of southern Sudan, and without MAF, would really struggle to work where they do. Also on the flight was a small team from Nairobi Lighthouse Church, back after assessing the needs in parts of the country and working out what the church can do to help in outreach. One of the outcomes is that they will be taking over a remote medical facility after the existing development organisation are pulling out of the area. One of the church members, Janet, had actually been in Sudan for 4 months, and was 'stranded' in a village after running out of money. Thankfully, MAF were able to bring her back home to Nairobi. She was very grateful for the work of MAF - quite a recurring them, it has to be said. The team said they were truly humbled by the enormous needs that many Sudanese communities face. I'll say it again - Sudan needs our prayers.

So, here I am in Kenya. Nairobi is 5,500ft above see level, and therefore noticeably cooler than Juba, despite its proximity to the equator. Very refreshing after my few days in the relentness Sudanese heat. MAF has good hangar and office facilities and the large team here are all very hard at work. The city itself, compared to what I have seen so far in Africa, is very well developed. But at the same time, still maintains its African influence, culture and interesting driving habits.

From Nairobi, MAF does flights to outlying settlements in Kenya, particularly the north which is still famine-affected. There are also flights to Somalia, although with the current situation within that country, it can be difficult to get permissions to fly across the border. But the majorty of flights are into Sudan, carrying tons of cargo and people every week to and from the country, all making a difference.

Weight permitting (let's suck that belly in), I hope to be able to hop on a flight tomorrow in our little Cessna 206, but we'll keep you posted.

Monday 8 February 2010

5-star dining and peace-building

Today's adventure saw me flying up to Pibor, a largish village north-east of Juba quite near the Ethiopian border.

Also in the plane was a team with Reconcile, who are leading a three-day peace-building workshop between the Nuer and Murle people groups. Our pilot Stefan dropped us off and then did two flights to Akobo to take two planeloads of people attending the workshops from there.
The sense of community in Africa is far stronger than here in the UK. So when a cattle raid occurs from another people group, it can lead to revenge not just against the individual cattle raiders, but to their whole family and people group. Cattle raiding is someting done as a lot of cattle is required to pay the dowry when it comes to marriage.
So, inter-tribal conflict is sometimes a big problem in Sudan. Just last year, such an incident resulted in a lot of death and displacement, and MAF flew in several tons of food aid for the church who were supporting those who were displaced and had nothing.

Anyway, it turns out that women are key in helping to keep the peace within their respective families. So, most of the people attending the workshop are women, and hopefully this will really equip them to help keep the peace when tensions run high.

It's great that the church and missions are really getting involved in promoting peace, not just between people groups, but also to make rural communities aware about the importance of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and the upcoming elections in April.
When the plane landed at Pibor, we were treated to a welcoming song by a group of women. That was neat. As the plane took off without me to Akobo, it was a good experience to get away from the airstrip and go into the village (even if I was the only white person there!). The homes are basic, the flies are everywhere, poverty is rife. But the sense of community was strong, the market place was very social, and the people are great.

On the way back from the compound where the Reconcile team were staying, I enjoyed a luxurious bread and bean feast at the local restaurant. It was so good, that you didn't even need cutlery to eat it. After all, cutlery doesn't deserve to be associated with such a brilliant food. And you know what, it even came with its own natural air display too - birds flying inside just overhead so you can almost touch them. And it goes on; it even had air conditioning - after all, air comes in very well between the sticks in the walls, refreshing at a temperature of just 40C.
Back at the plane, the children were very excited to see my camera out and kept asking for their photos to be taken. They were very cute! I noticed one boy on crutches as he lost a leg. Another boy had lost an arm there. Both were smiling away, but it is a reminder of the difficulties that the area has faced. But they get on with their lives, and we must pray for peace and a sense of lasting hope for Pibor in the midst of political uncertainty.

Saturday 6 February 2010

Papayas

You know you're in Africa when you see a Papaya tree growing nearby! The tree must be about 10 feet tall, and has lots of clusters of papayas growing up the tree trunk, which is amazing considering that it is only about a year old.

I enjoyed some fresh papaya for supper last night and it tastes fab.

I wandered down to the market place with pilot Ryan Unger and his visiting father-in-law, and there is a good variety of fruit, veg, eggs and spices for sale. It was then to the "fish supermarket" which is a small shop selling just about everything other than fish. Hmmm! Still, shop names in Juba tend to be far less interesting than down at Kampala, where small stores aka shacks are alongside all the roads. The most memorable name I can remember is the God is Able Unisex Salon!

Good progress is being made here at Juba, the capital of South Sudan. While there are many bumpy dirt tracks, some of the major roads in the city are now wide and paved. Traffic is generally less hectic than in Kampala, and is dominated with 4x4s and small trucks, which I guess are largely owned by the local NGOs and so on.

MAF shares its compound with World Relief. They have done a great job. As the city's elecricity supply is erratic at best, MAF runs a generator for about 9 hours each day, and also utilises solar energy. The city's water supply is now better than the brown parasitic Nile water running through the taps when the compound was build about 3 years ago, but it's only safe to drink it filtered. They have internet connection thanks to a sizable satellite dish near the office, and the whole place, has really come a long way over recent months.

Having said that, it's still a challenging environment. The intense heat, dust, risk of disease, availability of supplies and, to some extent, security issues continue to be a feature of daily living.

Yesterday's flight to Akobo and Malakal was good. We delivered a ton of building materials (corrugated metal sheets and timber) to Akobo for the construction of a new medical building which will replace the unsuitable existing one. Akobo has your classic Sudanese village huts, but flies are everywhere and there is a lot of poverty. It's good to know that this flight will make a positive impact on the community. We then took Presbyterian mission workers from Akobo on to Malakal, where they are staying for a day before being flown back to Juba.

Finally, we're going down to the Nile later this afternoon. Should be great!

Thursday 4 February 2010

From hot to hotter

This afternoon I landed in Juba (well, strictly it was Captain Bryan Pill who landed but you get the gist!), the capital of southern Sudan, where I will be based for a few days. The city is beautiful from the air, with the Nile flowing straight past on its course to the Mediterranean.

Also on my flight was Bishop Anthony Poggo of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, a a guy working with CMS, and a Scottish couple who are just about to start new roles with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. All going to different locations, all with different roles, yet all playing a role in the advancement to God´s Kingdom in this nation.

The weather here is cooler than recent days, so I´m told, but still just about nudging 100F - all relative I suppose! The heat is quite intense, and I admire the small team based here for being so willing to work and live in such an environment. Am on another flight tomorrow to Akobo and upto Malakal in the north of southern Sudan.

Hangar preps

The diggers and trucks have started to arrive at Kajjansi, as work begins on levelling the ground for a new MAF hangar. The current one is too small and is on its last legs, and encounters many problems, such as floor problems and occasional flood. MAF will be able to better service its planes when the new structure is ready later this year.

Bob the builder, eat your heart out!

First MAF flight

I hopped on my 1st MAF flight yesterday, flying to Pader in northern Uganda - hurrah! On the flight was Joshua Kyallo, country director for AMREF and his colleague Diana. AMREF is a medical organisation which serves and assists at the government hospitals. The hospital/health centre in Pader serves more than half a million people in the area, so the medical care they provide is so valuable.

We then continued in the small Cessna 210 through the heat and haze on the shorter hop to Gulu, where we picked up 3 people who work with Watoto Childcare Ministries. One of the workers, Carl, works in trauma counselling for children. With the area only recently recovering from long-term conflict with rebel groups, the work they do must be again so valuable.

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Off the beaten track

Imagine the branches of a tree - as the branches and twigs get further and further away from the trunk, they get smaller and smaller. Similar with roads going out of Kampala and away from the few 'major' routes. We discovered this on Monday night when we joined Sam Tsapwe, a former MAF worker who now almost single-handedly runs Jesus Film Ministries. Sam is a gentle man of God, but with a big heart for outreach in the remote areas. Showing Christian films on a big projector screen is novel and a great way of getting people to hear the Gospel message.

So off we set in his ageing Landrover heading north to a village about 40km away - or 2 hours.

The roads in Kampala vary from fairly good to the smaller bumpy dirt tracks with emormous potholes. On the roads are an ecclectic mix of taxis, mopeds, people and otehr vehicles, all declaring their right of way at the same time!

While the main roads are not too bad, but head off that the roads are seldom paved and get narrow and narrower, and can quickly develop large potholes with the combination of use and stormy weether. By the time we reached the village of Bugabo, it was like an overgrown narrow bridleway.

We collected a pastor, called Steve, on the way who has established many churches in his area. He helped and showed the way. So that was 7 people and lots of equipment in the vehicle!

When we got there, Sam was calling out to every home we passsed, 'Filimo! Fimimo!' Soon after we arrived in a clearing near a new church, children started running towards us. By the time the big projector screen was set up, a crowd of 100-200 people gathered.

This was Sam's 2nd time in the village, and this time he showed a film centred around the character of Mary Magdalene. This was shown in English and translated throughout by Sam in his mic. The kids particularly love watching these films and listening to the Chrstian music at the beginning, dancing away.

The weather was good - a growing orange moon rising behind the screen was quite something - though an isolated gust blew over the screen at one point!

Several adults reiterated Sam's prayer at the end of the service. Pray for the church to continue to grow in Bugabo, and particularly for Sam's ministry - it only takes something as small as a faulty cable for the film to be in jeopardy, so pray for the small details!

So another early night - or then again, maybe not!

Initial impressions

Initally arriving at Enterbbe International, it was hot - unusually hot for the time of year. Situated right by Lake Victoria, the views were stunning. The same has to be said of Kampala in general - situated by the lake means it's relatively green compared to much of the country, with lush exotic plants and tropical fruit trees and all that. Seeing Malibu storks and parrots and other birdlife was also great. After a good night's sleep - or should I say a night's sleep - I was ready to embrace Uganda!

Amidst the beauty, it's clear that it can be hard work to earn a living here. Alongside almost every road are lines of 'shops' which sell all kinds of things. Many of these shops are still open gone midnight - it's a very social city and there are always people walking around the streets - some working even at night. But the people are as a whole very friendly and welcoming to us - not that strange British habit of completely ignoring someone who walks past you on the street!

The 3 reps managed to get on a flight on Monday morning to the north, as part of a regular shuttle flight to the Karamoja area. Also on board with them was a ladt from Action Contra la Faim (Action Against Hunger), and people from a couple of other orgnisastions also joined during the hop.

I was left at MAF's base in Kajjansi, which gave me the chance to have a wander around and see the hangar and terminal etc. Also situated right by Lake Victoria, it is in a fantastic area. Work on constructing a new hangar was about to commence - more on that later (along with news from a flight I joine today, plus a film showing. Right - I'm off for dinner at a pilot's home, and I'm heading for Sudan tomorrow to be based for a few days.

Monday 1 February 2010

From the air...

Flying from Dubai to Uganda, I got my first viewing of Africa. I have to say that the views are stunning! God is such a great creator. It was interesting to see very sudden changes of landscape - arid plains, dried-up river beds, spectacular mountain ridges of the Ethiopian highlands and the lush, green landscapes of Uganda. I saw some villages scattered around which must have views to die for.

Contrastly, the vastness of the continent and weak travel infrastructure was clearly evident in places, and one can begin to understand that, should an emergency happen in one of those places, it would take a long time to receive help. They're the kind of barriers that MAF aircraft help to overcome.

The plane flew close to the border of Sudan. I was reminded of the decades of unrest and hardship in so many parts of that country. A sad paradox in my mind while I wached the great scenery passing by...

Phew!


What happens when you cross a Boeing 777 with a Gatwick de-icer truck - quite literally? A very, very long trip to Uganda. We finally landed late yesterday afternoon, about 26 hours later than planned!

At least we were given hotal accommodation at Gatwick (pictured right) and Dubai, we we probably spent more time queuing than sleeping.

But nice to finally make it, bleary-eyed and the rest of it!

Friday 29 January 2010

Bon voyage

The bags are packed and my trip to East Africa is about to begin - there's no turning back now! In about 3 hours I will be heading to Gatwick airport to go on the long flight south.

Where will I be going?

My first destination is Uganda (arriving tomorrow), where I will be based in the capital Kampala. I will be travelling out with short-term relief pilot Bryan Pill, who will be helping out with flights in Uganda for a few weeks. Also joining us are 3 MAF reps, and this trip will help them to understand and experience Uganda and the work of MAF out there, which will be valuable as they return to the UK and speak about MAF in churches and meetings.

Later next week, I will leave the others and join an MAF flight heading north into Sudan, where I will be based in the southern capital, Juba, where MAF operates a sub-base.

Early the following week, I will continue to Kenya where I will be based in Nairobi before returning to chilly England.

Well, that's the rough plan anyway...

What will await me there?

The purpose of my trip is to get a greater understanding MAF's work through experiencing life there, and to meet and build relationships with the local teams. As a frequently write about MAF and contact our overseas operations, this experience will be valuable.

I will also aim to get some memorable stories and photos of how MAF is making a difference, which I can take back and share here in the UK.

Keep viewing this blog as I hope to share some more over the next couple of weeks. Africa, here we come!

Shaun