MAF Makes a Dream Come True

This is a story of how one journey on a MAF plane made a dream come true in Uganda this month.

Fifty years ago, in 1967, a British girl in her twenties with a heart for mission and a vision for teaching arrived in Uganda.

For two years, she lived and worked among the people of the Karamajong tribe in northern Uganda. Teaching at a school for Ugandan girls, she developed a love for the people of this region and a passion to see education transform the lives of her pupils. Education was the key to opening up new opportunities for the young girls she taught- girls from a tribe steeped in ancient traditions. A tribe where stepping out of the basic life of their African village was something brave and extraordinary.

Sharing her Christian faith with her students was also a privilege and joy; she loved to see the freedom this brought into the girls' lives.

In 1969, this teacher had to leave Uganda and head back to England. Although she was returning to a happy event, preparing to marry her future husband, her heart was heavy and her emotions raw as she said goodbye to her beloved Karamajong students.
Her deep grief at the goodbyes spilled over into tears which she endeavored to hide behind dark sunglasses. She told me how her eyes ached from crying and the tears kept flowing as she sobbed her way out of a country she had come to love.
She thought she would never return to this land- and never see her beloved Kotido again.

Meanwhile, in Uganda, rumblings of trouble and darkness were beginning to brew as the notorious Idi Amin began his quest for power. Life was about to change and progress halted for the people of this nation as Amin's reign of terror took hold.

Fifty years later, Uganda is a different land. Peace was eventually restored. Uganda's capital city, Kampala, has seen great development. Education is more freely, although not universally, available.

The missionary teacher has followed Uganda's progress progress keenly from her home in England. She has been faithful in praying for this country. She was able to keep contact with some of her former students and was delighted to see some of them continue their education and move into professions they may never have dreamed of a generation before. One student even visited her in England many years later!

But still she never returned to Uganda...

...until now! Forty-eight years after leaving Uganda, my Mum finally came back to step foot on the land she has prayed for and dreamed of for so many years!

In October last year, when my Mum heard that her daughter, son-in-law and three of her grand-children would be moving to Kampala, she allowed herself to dream of returning to Uganda. And not only returning to Kampala, but perhaps even joining Andrew, her MAF pilot son-in-law, to fly over the place where she once lived and worked all those years ago.

That would be amazing.

Three weeks ago, my Mum's dream became a reality! Whilst visiting us here for a holiday, Andrew found that there was space for Mum to come along on a MAF flight as an extra passenger, up to Kotido. Exactly the region where Mum had been based and wanted to fly to! In addition, Dad was able to join her- and there was even space for me!

This was super exciting for Mum, as she now had the opportunity to show her husband the place where she had invested two years of her life shortly before their marriage- and her daughter would see part of her history too.

So it was a significant day, that Monday in August, as my Mum joined a MAF flight and brought some of her family along, piloted by her very own son-in-law! After so many years, it would be exciting to see what had changed, moved on and progressed- and incredible to revisit a place that held such meaning for Mum.

We arrived at Kajansi Airfield early, as the mist was still lifting and dew was heavy on the grass around the stationary MAF planes:

There was plenty of time to get our tickets issued in the passenger's office and even enjoy a cup of tea before heading out to board the plane:

Mum and Dad settled into their seats as our friendly pilot prepared for the journey ahead!

Although there were other passengers flying to work projects, mum and dad were able to get front row seats. They enjoyed the views over Lake Victoria as we took off into the African skies:

Andrew lent them his aerial maps of Uganda. Mum pointed out the places she had worked and travelled through in the 1960s, relating stories of terrible pot-holed roads and frightening bus journeys! This modern-day MAF flight was a breeze compared to her travels of yesteryear!

The plane lifted higher and the views were striking, as we sailed over villages set out in traditional style:

One passenger alighted at Moroto- so we took advantage of that to stretch our legs and grab a photo opportunity!

At Moroto, Mum was promoted, as she was able to join the pilot right up in the cock-pit at the very front of the plane! She was happy to be in a prime position as Andrew now prepared to fly us on the next leg- to Kotido:

Eventually, our MAF plane swept low and came in to land at Kotido to drop off two of Andrew's passengers who work with a Catholic mission. We were greeted by the sight of a young herder, busy throwing rocks in the direction of the cattle to warn them off the airstrip:

Now it was time for Mum to climb down and stand upon the rocky soil of the land she once lived on. It was time for her to greet the curious children gathered around the plane- children who were part of the people group she had lived among a few generations earlier.  Suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, it was hard for all of us to watch as Mum's eyes filled with involuntary tears: her love for the people she cared for welled over.

Trying out her little-remembered Karamajong language, Mum addressed the children on the airstrip- causing them to roar with laughter! They erupted with even more hilarity when she attempted a song she had once known!

The other aid worker passengers on the flight were interested in my mother's history and gathered us together for some photos, which one of the ladies joined us for:

All too soon, we had to board the plane and say farewell to the Kotido airstrip and the children who had congregated around us, greatly interested in us foreigners.  My Mum sat by the window and prepared to wave goodbye for a second time to the place she has held in her heart for the past fifty years.

It wasn't an easy time for her... Let's just say that many tissues were needed on the following leg of the journey. For me, seeing my own mother so moved meant that she wasn't the only one needing those tissues either!

One of the aspects of the visit to Kotido which gave rise to emotion was the shock my Mum felt at seeing so many children existing in poverty, still herding animals and wearing basic cloths as coverings.

Where was the progress? 

Why weren't these children in school?

It was hard for my Mum to see so little change after such a long period of time and after all the aspirations she had for the children of this region as a teacher such a long time ago. Sadly, the Karamoja region remains as one the most neglected areas of Uganda. It was tough to see this reality and not be in a position to bring any radical or lasting change for the better. 

However, she has steeled her determination to continue to pray for the people of Karamoja and uphold their cause as best she can once she returns to England :-)

Andrew still had one more passenger, an aid worker with "Food for the Hungry" to fly up to Moyo, near the border with South Sudan. This time, my Dad had a turn riding next to the pilot. We had some stunning views to marvel over as we headed up to Moyo, swooped over the great River Nile and landed on the bush-strip:

At Moyo, we said goodbye to the last passenger of the day. We were able to hop down from the plane and use the VERY basic long-drop facilities situated near to the airstrip. (I have to say that we were grateful when that experience was over!)

Finally, our MAF pilot guided us back into his plane:

An hour and a half later, we landed at MAF Uganda HQ in Kajansi:

It had been a wonderful, enlightening, poignant day. 

My Mum was thrilled with this special  opportunity that she had been blessed with. We were all so thankful to be part of it- including the other passengers on Andrew's flight, who loved hearing my Mum's story and way she was able to share part of her history and love for Uganda with us all.

What a privilege to join that MAF flight and witness a dream come true! 

High Fliers

A couple of weeks ago, MAF Uganda flew some important British passengers up to the north of the country:

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby himself, climbed aboard one of our MAF planes to visit some of the projects which bring help and support into the refugee camps.

In addition, he was accompanied by his wife and by the archbishop of Uganda, Ntagali, plus the British High Commissioner and other staff of Lambeth Palace and aid workers.

Although Andrew was not allocated that flight, two BBC reporters were on board, so we have great access to a report which can give us more insight into the types of flights which MAF undertake within Uganda.

Click on this link to read all about it!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40813408

Appalled

Our local shops

A few weeks ago, these were the local shops just a short walk from our house. Here, I would buy our day-to-day goods and most of our fresh fruit and vegetables. As it happened, I had snapped a few photos one afternoon while waiting for Ben to collect our purchases:

HOWEVER...

I was utterly appalled last week as I watched the willful destruction of these shops which have been serving our local community!

Destruction

It was heartbreaking to see our local shop-keepers have their places of business dug up by a huge machine and smashed to the ground. I felt so bad for these hard-working people who were forced to stand back while their livelihoods were destroyed right in front of their eyes. To name just a few, I felt so bad for these Ugandan shop-keepers...

...Mark who makes chapatis and from whom we often buy our lunch.

...Jessica who sells us fresh fruit and vegetables. I buy fresh produce from her at least once a week.

...Edna who had a tiny, wooden hut that was her shop, a small business where she could sew and mend clothes. Often she has sewn up the holes in my sons' trousers and she fixed my bag for me when the lining got torn.

Around midday a large digger started smashing up the shop-fronts while people on the street watched helplessly:

Working its way down the street, this giant machine wreaked destruction as more and more shops were destroyed. People's containers or wooden shops and tin roof structures were mercilessly smashed:

Shop-keepers were forced to run with their goods. Many of them congregated on the opposite side of the street in the shelter of a disused garage. Their sales goods and their shop equipment had been hastily removed and was now piled up, futile, on the ground while the destruction continued across the road.

Edna stood with her wooden table and shelves, her sewing machine and a handful avocados she was still hoping to sell- all of which had been salvaged before her shop was pulled down:

Behind her, Jessica had managed to rescue her shelving and the fruit and vegetables she wanted to sell and had placed everything on a street corner where she still had a vantage point that allowed her to assess the damage to her small, recently-painted green-grocer stall. The damage was absolute.

I was so stunned by what was happening. I stood for a while and chatted with the people concerned, along with my children and another MAF friend, as we tried to find out why this ruining of property was taking place. It transpired that the local council was in charge of this mass destruction.

Apparently, there has been a long-running land ownership dispute, so Kampala council had now ordered the elimination of these small shops.
In addition, we heard that the council considered these structures an eye-sore, since they were the product of individual sellers who set up shops as best they could on limited budgets. These shops were not aesthetically planned or in any way slick or modern and now the council wanted to clean up the area. It is rumoured that the council have plans to build a brand new, smart shopping area.

Thus, in an sweeping action of brute force, the poor but hard-working had been forced out of their places of business. It seems like such incredibly harsh treatment of the people. Some told us that they had been pre-warned that the council may act this way. Others reported that they had been told that if they simply smartened up their shop-fronts they would be allowed to remain and continue business.

Some of them had recently bought new metal sheeting to make their shops smarter or had painted them. Now they were being forced to watch all that effort and expense being wasted as their walls crumbled and roof-tops collapsed. It seems so unfair.

It is difficult to find out exact details of the matter and who actually owns the land. Yet in a way, that matter seems irrelevant, as it is equally difficult to understand why people's livelihoods should be so absolutely smashed up in such a barbarous fashion.

Maybe there is a land dispute, or maybe the council is absolutely bent on development by smartening up neighbourhoods throughout the city. However, when this means that they are prepared to treat the hard-working in this way, there will be no development. There will just be heightened unemployment as locals are stripped of their source of income to feed their families and pay school fees for their children in this land without free education. There may be desperation and therefore an increase in crime.

Surely there is a more enlightened way to clear land or solve land disputes? A way in which those prepared to work hard to set up business can be given encouragement and support- rather than leaving them with a pile of rubble in the place of hope?

Resilience

This week, Jessica told me that she is determined to stay in the local area and keep selling her produce. With true resilience, she found a wooden table to set out fresh fruit and vegetables and was simply selling her goods on top of the debris that used to be her shop. She told me how much she cried when her shop was torn down. She has two young children to provide for and is a single mother- her husband drank too much and beat her so hard that eventually she had to run away for safety's sake.
I took these pictures a couple of days ago as I went to buy my usual order of fresh goods:

Jessica is praying as she asks God to provide a new business venue where she can keep her loyal customers- or that the owners of the new shops which may be established will notice her and give her employment. Her hope is in God to take care of her and her children. But this hope comes at a cost, as she has lost so much and still struggles to make ends meet.

Yesterday, she moved her table around the corner to a nearby street and asked me to continue to buy from her.

Meanwhile, Mark is still making chapati from a portable wooden stand and greets us cheerfully despite the challenge he still faces to find a new place to work from.

Edna has moved her sewing machine onto a paved area in front of her friend's shop and sits there each day, waiting for business- but no longer has a place to hang mended garments or to store her supplies. Despite this, she smiles when I walk past and tells me that she trusts God to help her. Her optimism and faith challenge me.

If you are a praying person, pray for these people who trust so much despite harsh treatment. Pray for justice for the poor. Pray for enlightened policies that can help those prepared to work hard and give them opportunities to thrive rather than discouragement. 

Thank you.

Esther's Journey

Our house was a little quieter two weeks ago.

The reason for this was because, for an entire week, we only had two children at home instead of three! Esther went to visit a friend in northern Uganda. She flew up there without any of us, taking a MAF flight from Kajansi near Kampala all the way to Arua!

Esther set off early on a Thursday morning with Andrew driving her to the airfield. Once there, she boarded a MAF flight bound for South Sudan, which also stopped in Arua on its way up north. A flight that Andrew was NOT flying, so the pilot was someone Esther had only met once before.

The plane was being chartered by an amazing missionary family we know who live in a rural part of South Sudan. Esther was able to join the flight with these friends and sit next to their 11 year old daughter, who is a friend of Esther- so it was perfect timing. Even though Esther did not have any of her family with her, she was at least travelling with friends.

The MAF plane bound for Tonj in South Sudan, via Arua, taking off with Esther on board:

This was a very special trip. A year ago, when we left our Juba home so suddenly, Esther was upset because she worried that she would never see her close friend from Juba, Djourbaine, ever again. I made her a promise that I would do everything I could to let them see each other again- and we prayed that this would be possible.

A few days after us, Djourbaine's family were evacuated from Juba when the fighting intensified. They were collected by the French military and flown to Uganda- where they have stayed ever since, working for YWAM (Youth With a Mission). Now here we are in Uganda and the two friends find themselves in the same country again!

Of course, Esther and Djourbaine are many miles apart, with us being in Kampala and Djourbaine's family being 295 miles (475 km) away in Arua. However, being in the same country does mean that there are ways and means for the two girls to meet up- and we found that the MAF plane is one of those ways! It was an exciting trip for Esther to go and stay for a week with Djourbaine and her family!

Naturally, I missed my daughter every day, but was pleased to hear her happily relating her daily adventures on her evening phone calls! :-)

When she returned home, she brought some photos to show us of the enormous YWAM base where she had been staying, with its many trees and plantations of bananas and corn:

After a week of fun with friends, Esther was taken to the airfield in Arua to board the MAF flight that would be passing through bound for Kajansi.
Esther was expecting to join a flight with a pilot she barely knows... but was delighted to discover that Andrew's return flight from South Sudan had managed to make it to Arua with enough time to stop- so Esther got to fly home with her dad, sitting with him in the cockpit! What a great way to travel home!

Western Uganda

It was completely unexpected. I had no idea that we were about to spend four days in such a beautiful place!

At the beginning of these school holidays, Andrew booked a few days away for us in western Uganda. I was so busy in the lead up to the school holidays that I didn't take any time to research or look into where we were heading for our mini-holiday.

As the 5 hour drive to Fort Portal unfolded in front of our car windscreen, I was more and more stunned by the beautiful scenery of this part of the country.

We stayed at at guest-farm and booked the "lazy camping" option, where we had two tents already set up for us complete with beds, with all bedding and towels provided. A little easier to organise and pack for than the Girl Guide camps I used to go on!

We had some lovely outings where we discovered refreshing (and icy cold!!) waterfalls...

.... and some very steep hills that a local guide led us up...

The climb to the top was worth it for the views that rewarded us at the summit:

Apparently in this area near to Fort Portal, there are over 50 crater lakes, formed naturally in this volcanic region (happily, the volcanoes which were surrounding us are now dormant!!!). The views around us offered us a vista of lake after lake after lake!

When it was time to descend the slopes, Joel's little legs were rather tired. Fortunately for him, the guide offered to give him a lift through the green paths meandering downwards:

After our walk, we drove along the road leading to the Rwenzori mountains which form a natural border between Uganda and Congo. We stopped en route to snap a picture of the terraces which are dug for farming along the edge of the Great Rift Valley:

Another day, another outing... and we drove to visit a lodge on the edge of this stunning crater lake. The rough dirt road and roaring motorbikes were in stark contrast to the calm beauty of the crater lake and refined sophistication of the lodge where we stopped for a tasty lunch and a swim!

Esther and Ben also took the plunge by swimming in the actual crater lake itself, where the water was reportedly warmer than the swimming pool, but rather scary to jump into initially, as the deep waters of the lake gave it a mysterious air! They were elated once they had experienced the thrill of plunging into this deep, Ugandan crater lake and deserved their delicious lunch of tilapia and chips!

It was a lovely break away from the bustle of Kampala city life and definitely an area worth visiting. We are enjoying discovering this beautiful country of Uganda!