Summer Plans!!

In previous years, our summer visits back home have usually involved lots of catching up with family, friends and supporters one-to-one, as well as giving short updates in the 3 churches who we have close relationships with.

This summer marks 8 years since we packed up our home in Tummel Bridge, and made the first steps towards starting our training in Ohio, then on to work in Uganda. We felt this was as good a time as any to take a little bit longer to share about the organisation we work with, the sort of work we are doing here in Uganda, and how MAF are involved in a huge variety of work, impacting so many people in this part of the world.

We would love to see as many of you as possible while we are back, and so we have been busy preparing for evening ‘get-togethers’ in the four corners of the land! If you can make it to any of these dates, it would be great to see you, and if you need a bit of inspiration to come along, here is a little taster video I have put together to give you an idea of what you can expect!!

Watch this space for more details as we get closer to our migration north!

Springing into shape!

Four weeks ago I had the required surgery and, after my post op consultation this morning everything is healing well and and I will return to Uganda on Monday 2nd of April to be with my family again after almost 7 weeks of being apart.  I can't tell you how thankful I am to the many many people who have prayed for us and supported us in MANY ways through this time.  We have watched God's provision, faithfulness, blessing and encouragement in action in ways only he could orchestrate and I am so humbled that he would move those mountains for our family in such a short time.  Special thanks to my mum who has looked after me after surgery :0) I just can't wait to hang out with my kids for the last week of the Easter holidays and get to be there for Matthew's birthday in a few weeks.  I will continue recovery in Uganda and then the whole family will travel back to Scotland middle of June through July for furlough and some holiday time.  

I hope you are all having a blessed weekend as we celebrate the Risen Saviour and ALL that He has done for us.  Psalm 8 v 1-4

"Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
 Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
 When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" (NIV)

God Bless

Heatherx

Update from Scotland

Hi there, 
The last week or so has been a bit of a whirlwind with doctors appointments and the like.   It was great to get a clear diagnosis and now we have been looking at the way forward as a family.  Due to the nature of waiting lists with the NHS it could be closer to July/August for needed surgery and while we can appreciate that if we all lived in Scotland the waiting for consultation,  pre-op and surgery and post op appointments could be manageable - Uganda is our home at present.   Taking this into account as well as the emotional strain on being separated for long periods of time we have decided to go private and I am booked to have the operation tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon at Ross Hall.  All being well I will be out on Thursday or Friday and the recovery process can begin.   Again, all being well I will be able to fly back to Uganda at some point before the summer and be with my family again before we return for furlough in June.  I am so thankful to God for the support network he has put around us both in the UK and Uganda that have made all of this possible in such a short time!  Thanks to all of you for your cards and messages/texts/visits as well as practical support.  Andy and the kids are doing well though I am sure Andy is tired! Eilidh (age 5) has no concept of when I am coming back and asked me tonight via face-time if I could bring her back some honey for her cough and cold. Sweet and tough at the same time.    Well I'm off to get some sleep so I can be up early to eat breakfast before my "8.30am no food or drink" cut off time.  Not sure when the next blog post will be from me but so far  - two posts in two weeks- must be a record for the Swanson's!
God bless what ever country you are reading this in.
Much love
Hx

When life throws you a lemon........

Dear friends and family,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year.  We enjoyed a trip to Scotland over the Christmas break and the kids got to experience lots of snow in the two weeks we were there.  We returned to Kampala beginning of January and were soon getting into the swing of life again.  Andy was preparing for a trip to Mongolia for over two weeks,  the children were back in school, and I continued to plough through the busiest academic year of teaching so far.  Last August I started a new job in Kampala teaching primary music at a much larger International school.  The students are predominantly African and a huge mix of other countries. The school is being inspected in May by a UK organisation so the paper work has been intense.  In my first two terms of arriving I have had to write a brand new curriculum for seven year groups documenting weekly lesson plans for the entire academic year.  Add to this writing the 3 year development plan and music policy and assessment strategies and department reviews and you can begin to see that my evenings after teaching all day have been pretty busy meeting the paperwork deadlines as well as trying to learn the names of 260 students and many many staff! 
Towards the end of January, Andy left Uganda's hot dry season of 30 degrees C and made is way to Mongolia (more like -30 degrees) to work on an avionics upgrade that needed to happen to the MAF plane there.  When Andy is away I usually just pray that the car doesn't get a flat tyre etc as things like that tend to happen when one of us is at the other side of the world.   In the second week Andy was gone I was stopped by a random Kampala police  lady - apparently my car insurance had expired May 2017!  How had we let that happen?! Miraculously she forgave me and let me go (Insurance is now up to date).  That was the Sunday,  On the Monday Eilidh lost her first tooth....awesome! And then the lemon was thrown!   Monday night things didn't feel right in my body and I began to bide my time till I could call the doctors on Tuesday morning.  Needless to say I did not sleep well and I got up at 6.30am to get the kids ready for school.  While she was getting dressed Abi found a snake in her room - yes it was a harmless blind snake....but a snake! I managed to get it into a tub with a broom while courageously screaming the whole time.  Thankfully (sorry to snake lovers) I caused it some damage with the broom and it no longer moved and the threat was gone. Meanwhile the five year old was a little upset that the tooth fairy had forgotten to leave money for her very first tooth - I was a little pre-occupied! At last off to school and then I could concentrate on the doctor phone call and appointment.
The doctor was fabulous,  however my situation was not and it was going to involve urgent return to the UK to see a specialist and start the process for surgery.  I was signed off work for pretty much the rest of the academic year and the days began to take on a different format.  There were so many logistics to discuss with Andy (from Mongolia) over patchy internet signals, there was planning to finish for my job, discussions with MAF, Insurance companies, not to mention the emotional upheaval - am I really having to leave my family for possibly three months???

I spent some time in work with my assistant last Monday morning taking him through my teaching plans as he would be covering for me in the meantime. I was getting a little stressed as we still had not finished the handover and a year 1 class was about to arrive for their music lesson.  We gave them some colouring which they did very quietly as we continued to discuss the handover.  Then one little African girl starts singing at the top of her voice while she colours, Sinach's song:
We are a chosen generation
We've been called forth to show His excellence
All I require for life, God has given me
And I know who I am

"I know who God says I am

What He says I am
Where He says I'm at
I know who I am..I'm walking in power...etc."

My heart was smiling  - here in a secular school, God is reminding me that he is in control,  my identity is with him  - through the voice of a little 5 year old.  It was a "golden nugget" moment.

So the next chapter begins!  Andy returned from Mongolia,  we spent some time together (a day!) and then I left for the Scotland.  Since then I have had a GP appointment,  and I met with a specialist privately to give me an idea of what time frame, surgery etc we are looking at.  I need a hysterectomy and pelvic floor repair surgery.   As it is not a life threatening condition there is no hurry through the NHS.  It is up to 12 weeks waiting list to see the consultant and then a further 10 - 12 weeks waiting list for the surgery.  I can't begin to process the logistics or implications for our family situation at present but this is where we are here and now.  Please pray for wisdom between MAF and our family as we plan the next steps.   I guess I need to look on it as a surprise sabbatical.  I just need a piano from somewhere  - please let me know if anyone has a full size weighted keyboard that would like to come and reside in Moodiesburn or Lenzie for a while? - that might just keep me sane!lol. Please continue to pray especially for the kids and Andy in Uganda and for healing and speedy surgery this side of the world too.  Life is full of surprises along the way - some good some bad. As a friend posted on face book recently - "when life throws you a lemon.............make lemonade!"  Trying to keep a positive attitude - prayers appreciated!

If any of our supporters would like to get in touch, my address in Moodiesburn is 2 Harwood Gardens, G69 0HJ, and my new mobile number is 07305050590 (whats app is still the same) 

Thanks for your support 

Farewell meal

love in Christ

Heather x

Christmas Greetings!

After another busy year (it seems like those are the only kind we have now!!), we are glad to be slowing down a bit for the Christmas holidays.

We welcomed in 2017 whilst in America; we made the trip over to visit some supporters and spend Christmas and New Year with our very good friends over there. It was a long journey, but worth it to enjoy the festivities with good friends, and to spend a bit of time with MMS in Ohio and MAG in NC! (Not to mention enjoying a bit of time in the snow!)

We came back to Kampala refreshed, and while I was busy painting our Cessna 206, Heather was busy wrapping up the school year, and her time as music teacher, at Heritage school. 

We had a great trip back to the UK in the summer, catching up with family and friends as well as our church friends, and other supporters. Then it was back to Uganda again to get on with work in the hangar and for Heather to start her new role as primary music teacher at Rainbow school. Rainbow work with a British curriculum so it will be more beneficial for our kids as they move through the school system. Abi and Eilidh joined Heather, while Matthew stayed at Heritage for one more year with his friends there.

October saw my parents visit during the school holidays, and so we were able to enjoy a bit of holiday time in Murchison Falls National park, taking advantage of some of the safari trips that are so close to where we live!

We are looking forward to spending a bit of time relaxing as a family this Christmas, before the busy-ness starts again; in late January, I am travelling to Mongolia for a few weeks of work on another avionics upgrade  to the caravan we have operating over there.

We hope that you will feel the joy and peace of Christmas this year in the midst of whatever plans you have; it is good to relax, and it's good to spend time with family, but it is even better to rest in the knowledge that Christ came, as the Old Testament prophesied, and He will come again!

I have attached a couple of recent videos below, and hope you enjoy a Christmas greeting, and some of the footage from the repaint I did at the start of the year... 

A Christmas Greeting from Uganda!

Thank you for sharing in our journey, and for remembering us in prayer and practical support>
Wishing you every blessing for this Christmas, and as we start off into 2018!!

Tha Swanson Family

It's been a while...

When we first started with MAF, I made every effort to get at least a couple of blog posts out every month. That actually takes quite a bit of work, and it seems that in the last couple of years especially I have lost a bit of steam with the blog. That said, I know there are many people who follow this page (or at least used to!) to keep up with our news.



Last week I put together a wee video to update some friends back home on what we are doing out here in Uganda, so I thought I would share it on here as well...



Thanks for reading and watching!

Safe in the Arms of God

I honestly don't know where to begin.  Serving God wherever you are in world is not easy. God never promised it would be.  We have dealt with no power, no electricity, bumps in the car,  loved and lost dear friends to new horizons, we have even come through melanoma cancer. Time is a wonderful healer and as I look back even these things (bar the cancer) seem relatively feeble three years on.  When I wrote the last blog I mentioned I was leaving my present job at Heritage.  I had also been interviewed and offered a new job at nearby international school where some of the other MAF children attend.  The job offer was dependant on references of course.  Never did I think that one of my references could have caused my offer to be rescinded but there is a first time for everything. In two years in my job I have poured my heart and soul (and finances) into being the best teacher I could be. It was crushing when the job offer was rescinded and I had to edit the blog I had just posted to you all now leaving an uncertain void as to my plans for the next year.  Meeting after meeting to find out where I could be going wrong as a teacher and what was I doing that could have cost me a job in the small international community left no answers,  no evidence,  and a line of poor management.  Still,  I could pick myself up from this - God had a plan.  Deep within I had been sure God was calling me to this decision and pursued the applications of Abigail and Eilidh to the new school.  During the application process of our girls I was called into a meeting with the management at the new school.  I have never been in the position where there was a job opening for an elementary music teacher and I was a qualified unemployed music teacher, yet a soon to be parent at the said school.  Wondering what role I could take (volunteer?) or if I could ever apply for another job there led to several conversations and an invitation for a second interview. The interview panel was different and I repeated the interview again and was able to explain the happenings of the last few months with documented evidence of areas that I could only speculate were issues as I was refused any glance at the reference that cost me the job.  Relief and thankfulness when I was offered the position (again!) this time - no strings attached.  What a rollercoaster! Telling your four year old you are going to be her music teacher next year and see the joy in her face,  and then having to tell her that mummy isn't going to be working at the school anymore was heartbreaking.  The ripple effects of possibly having no second income was felt around our house staff in particular. All of their families would be affected and those who we support.  It was such a relief to tell  my girls again that I would be at their school.   All I want to do as a teacher is ensure I can give my kids the best music education I can and BE there for them.

In the midst of all the above "soap opera drama" (as Andy called it!),  It has been the busiest time of my career. Conducting 270 kids a the international music festival was exciting.  Meanwhile rehearsals were underway for Beauty and the Beast production that would take place at the end of April.  Due to the many weekly rehearsals (it's all done after school) I would miss seeing Joyce and Darius as when Andy would get home from work,  they would leave.  On Wednesday Joyce sells her doughnut balls and bread at the school market.  Darius had been sick with a cold and I took them home from the market one Wednesday afternoon around 5pm.  He was sleeping. I never saw them on the Thursday as I was late home.  I decided to leave at 3pm on the Friday and that was when I noticed Darius had been sleeping for four or five hours.  I noticed he was agitated while sleeping as though struggling for oxygen and packed Joyce and Darius into the car to go to the surgery (ex-pat clinic).  It was rush hour, 5pm, and it took us over an hour to get there.  He was getting more agitated in the car as he struggled to breath.  He was rushed straight into the resuscitation room. Breathing treatments helped however when they finished he would crash.  I don't really want to go into all the details.  It was traumatic for us all and very "African".  If ever I have felt like a foreigner - it was at this moment helping Joyce go through what no parent should ever have to experience.  Thankfully her brother arrived to also give her some support.  Meanwhile I tried to deal with the nurses (who were wonderful) and the oxygen tank which failed at one point.  I tried to keep joyce from falling apart when her baby needed her most and encouraged her to hold him so she could say her goodbye. I switched the machine off as she took off the oxygen mask so she could cuddle him.  His levels were so low that the machine was not having any more effect on him. I watched the sweet fifteen month old that had stolen our hearts gasp his last breath here on earth.  If anyone could have told me three years ago that that's where I would be on that Friday evening would I have ever come to Africa?  YES I would. As useless as I felt in that hospital room I know God planted us here not just to serve with MAF but for that lady - Joyce.  God chose my family to hold her hand through her worst nightmare and in the midst of the grief for that I am so humbled.  Andy left early Saturday morning to help with the arrangements and basically be a chauffeur for the weekend as they drove the 7 hour drive to the congo border.  Culturally the baby must be buried in the Father's village.  The Father was in Congo and could not attend the funeral. Joyce stayed there for three days till the burial was complete and then returned to her mother's village.  Joyce has since been very sick with typhoid from drinking untreated water in the village.  She is slowly on the mend and is returning gradually to work this week.  I remember at our cross cultural training, someone mentioned that missionaries often see  more people die in a few years than others do in a life time - we, and other MAF families can testify to this.

The week after Darius died, I had 800 people coming to see the production I had organised.  It was the final week of dress rehearsals,  night rehearsals in the dark - no time to sit or even cry with others about what I had just witnessed.   Then after the production,  it was the end of year concerts.  Now that that is done, it is exam time, marking and entering grades,  packing up my resources,  and clearing out my classroom. Meanwhile I have to clear out my home from the cot,  the high chair,  the toys, the nappies.   This furlough will definitely be different. I honestly don't even think I can get up to speak and share about how life has been these past months so please accept this blog as our family update.    It will hopefully be a time of rest and healing and refreshing in our faith as we gear up for another year here in Kampala.  

There have been many spiritual battles within  the MAF team over these last months as many families have gone through major life altering events.  Some are recovering from post traumatic stress,  some are grieving the loss of a loved one,  some are unable to be spoken about publicly.  It has been a rough season for many.  Please continue to pray for the many MAF families here.

Thank you to all of you who have supported Darius. Your love and prayers have touched and encouraged all of us, but especially Joyce.  Before Darius was born she only attended our church as the children's worker for the under five's.  Now she also attends her own  church later on a Sunday and they have been a wonderful support to her through this time. Joyce also has the hope that she will see her son again in Heaven one day.

Andy and Eilidh will fly to the UK this coming Sunday. Myself and Abi and Matthew will follow in the 5th of June. We are looking forward to seeing you all and catching up with YOUR news.  Andy will be in Dunoon Baptist Church on the 5th of June and then we will be at Kirkintilloch Baptist church on the 11th. We plan to be at Pitlochry on the 18th of June and then will be having some family holiday/rest time.

Our supporters really mean the world to us and I can't begin to tell you all how we appreciate your continual giving and prayers which allow us to serve God and the people of Uganda.

Lots of love

Heather (Andy, Abigail, Matthew and Eilidh)