Busy, Busy, Busy!

After almost 3 months of being back in Scotland, things are really picking up pace in the Swanson home!

This week is a crazy mix of last minute shopping, strategic bag packing, final farewells, and as much quality time with Heather and the kids as I can squeeze in before next Monday! After patiently waiting for the last few months, we got word a couple of weeks ago that my work permit approval had come through and that we could book tickets for travelling to Uganda! They have now been booked and I am all set to travel to Uganda next Monday, the 3rd March. ...Monday isn't far away!!

It isn't going to be easy saying goodbye to the family for such a long time. Since I sat my exams last September, my daily work routine has been "unconventional", so I have been about the house much more than usual, sometimes helping, sometimes getting in the way ;-) Either way, it will be hard for Heather not having extra hands about the place, and hard for the kids not having dad there day by day.

We are definitely doing the right thing though, and as well as letting the rest of the family catch up on a few doctor's appointments, and giving the kids the stability of finishing the school year here, it will make the transition into African life a bit easier. I will be starting in the hangar as soon as all my paperwork is in order, but I will also be able to set the ball rolling on finding a car and a house, and generally getting my bearings around town before the rest of the Swanson clan arrive... I can't imagine having my first Ugandan driving experiences with the kids shouting in the back seat!

If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. Psalm 139 v 9-10

The week ahead is going to be busy and emotional, and we would appreciate your prayers for everything that is going on with us right now, and as we work through the next few months.

• For all the plans to come together, all the last minute "i's" to be dotted, and "t's" crossed.
• For the kids to be able to understand as much as they need to about what's going on, and where dad is heading.
• For all my travel arrangements to work out.
• For me to settle quickly into our new home town of Kampala.
• For Heather to cope well with running the family on her own while we are apart.
• And for all the doctor's appointments to pass by without need for any more work.

Thank you for continuing to keep us in your thoughts and prayers - it is, as always, appreciated!

I can't imagine having too much of a chance to write again this week, so the next blog post may well be from Uganda!

A

A February update!

We are back home now, having spent last week down in Ashford, Kent on the second week of our "Pre-field Orientation" course. The first week of the course was done before we left for Ohio, and before heading for Uganda we had to complete this training. It was reassuring to see how seriously MAF take our preparation for leaving UK, but a little bit intimidating as we reviewed the many diseases and potential security problems we might find ourselves experiencing!

Now that our PFO course is complete, the only thing that stands between us and our leaving for Uganda is the issue of my work permit. Progress hasn't been too speedy up until now, but we have just heard that the permit application has been passed through the NGO Board, and is now with the Immigration Board. It hasn't been fully approved yet, but is well on its way through the process and we are expecting to be able to get my tickets booked later this week for heading to Uganda! As of next weekend, we will have done all of the speaking engagements that we were scheduled to do and are looking forward to moving onto the next chapter! Thank you for all your prayers over our busy time back in Scotland, and our work permit application - God's timing, as always, is perfect!

We would love to see as many of you as possible before we leave these shores; the last three of our pre-organised get-togethers are scheduled for this week. All are welcome to join us at any (or all!!) of these!

• We will be sharing at a "commissioning evening" organised by the MAF-Scotland guys at Costa Coffee in Cumbernauld on Tuesday 11th at 7pm.
• Wednesday 12th sees us up in Pitlochry, where we will be sharing and catching up with friends from 7pm at Pitlochry Baptist Church.
• We will be joining our good friends in Dunoon on Sunday 16th, where we will be sharing during the morning service (11am) at Dunoon Baptist church.

In preparation for us leaving for Africa, (and in an attempt to get ourselves a bit more up to date!) we have set up a Facebook page where we hope to be able to keep you updated with pictures and news from Uganda. We are still keeping the blog going, but the Facebook page will run beside the blog keeping you updated with more 'bitesize' bits of news! If you want to follow us on Facebook, you can find our page by clicking here. I have also been busy trying to better organise our quarterly email newsletter list and if you would like to be added to our mailing list, you can click on the link on the right hand side of this blog page under the heading "For Updates:"

Thanks again for your continuing interest in what we are doing, and for all your prayers and support as we get ready to move again. We are looking forward to keeping you up to date either in person later this week, via our newsletter or on-line!!

Every blessing

A