Back in the groove!

As I sit here writing this blog post on Friday evening, some quick sums tell me it is about 238 1/2 hrs until I pick Heather and the kids up from Entebbe airport, and family life resumes here in Africa again! It will be great to be back together as a family, but rather than moping around in an empty house, my feet have hardly touched the ground as I pick up with life where we left off at the end of May!

Last glimpse of the Clyde as I head south again!

We had a great time together back in scotland, and really enjoyed the opportunity to share all the changes that the last year-and-a-bit had brought for us in Africa. (In spite of it being a tiring month of driving, speaking, sharing and driving some more!) We have always had a huge appreciation for the churches and individuals that support us, but I think that this time home, more than ever we have felt encouraged and refreshed by all the genuine interest, support and backing we have felt!! Thank you all so much!

After spending a little over a month back in UK it was time for me to return to work, and so I left Heather and the kids to enjoy a few more weeks of Scottish summer while I returned to Kampala. 

I think I am more or less in the groove now, and am finding myself “thinking African” again! I made it back to Uganda a day before our friends Luc and Malaina headed back to Canada with their family, having come to the end of their time with MAF. It was bitter-sweet - great that I was able to see them all again before they head back to Alberta, but sad to see them go. We have become good friends over the last  year, and they will be missed by us all. My first night back in Uganda was their last night in Uganda, and I was glad I was able to help run them to the airport with all their bags and luggage - just don't tell Heather that it is possible to travel with 32 pieces of checked baggage, or she might get ideas!!

Getting used to Uganda again - a wedding guest carries a live chicken in to church as a gift!

Things move on as always in the hangar, and I have enjoyed being back beside my tool box! I find it really satisfying spending time in the UK sharing with people about what we are doing, and talking in churches about the work MAF are involved in, but it is certainly not my natural “default” setting, so being back in my own element is a breath of fresh air for me! Last week was mostly taken up with a 200hr inspection and a long jobs list on 5X-LDR, and with a reduced team due to summer absences, the guys who were left had plenty to stay busy with! Then it was back on to 5X-OPE to work our way through the jobs list as we ready it for a move to Liberia to join the new programme that is being established over there just now! For me that involved fuel tank inspections. I opened up the two wing tanks for inspection before we started work on LDR, then after that was finished I moved on to the inspection of the reservoir tank in the belly of the plane. What should have been a quick open, inspect and close up job, turned into quite a task when we discovered damaged flanges, misshapen parts and broken anchor nuts. As I said though, I feel most at home working at my toolbox, so crawling into the cargo pod isn't so bad!

Lying down on the job again!

A week before I left for Uganda a team from Kirkie Baptist church flew out ahead of me. They were spending time at various places including Luwero community project,  Mulago hospital & Dwelling Places here in Kampala, and of course with me at MAF! It was great to see them all out here, and a real encouragement to be able to explain MAF’s work out here in a context that you just can’t get back home. John, Diane and Jack were able to join one of our flights up country, and came back with a real experience of the kind of environment we fly in, and the work we do; as well as flying some regular flights for passengers who were visiting projects they were involved in, their flight was also used to medevac a heavily pregnant lady who was having some difficulties. It was a good example of the kind of diversity and adaptability that MAF are often called upon to carry out as we serve God by serving people in remote places. As well as flying up country, Jack has ideas of working in aviation when he leaves school in a year or two. Today he was able to come into the hangar with me for the day, and got a taste of what working in aviation maintenance is like! Through the day he did some of the more menial tasks we sometimes have to do, like vacuuming up old sealant and cable ties, and scraping old sealant off a panel that will soon be reinstalled. He also had a chance to practice some safety wiring twisting, drive a few rivets and have a good general nosey around some of our planes! Lots of fun!

Jack and his dad Ewan helping Geoff with some flap rigging.

Thanks again for keeping in touch, and up to date with what we are up to! Please continue to remember us in your prayers too, especially Heather and the kids as they prepare to come back to Uganda in a little over a week.