Surprise, surprise - not! Plans have changed a little, but I was told to be prepared for this. I have a new itinerary for the week following the conference, which will take me further afield, though still in Uganda. Instead of going straight to Mbarara after the conference, the week now looks like this:

Sunday 10 June - Further overnight stay in Jinja
Monday-Tuesday 11-12 - Visit to Kagando Hospital near DR Congo border with Zillah Whitehouse
Tuesday evening - Team meeting in Mbarara
Wednesday 13 - Visit to 'Abide' project in Kabale with Connor Johnston
Thursday 14 - Visit to Mbarara Hospital with Zillah and school Bible study with Seb
Friday 15 - Visit to 'Farming God's Way' project with Stephen Shelt
Saturday 16 - Chaplains and Patrons Workshop
Sunday 17 - Preaching Eden International School and rest (!)

The reason for the visit to Kagando is that there are plans for a couple from AIM to spend a year there and quite a few medical electives also spend time at the hospital. I've marked the approximate position on the map above for those who like to know such things. Kabale is right in the south west corner of Uganda, close to the Rwandan border. It's the red dot almost due north of Kigali on the map.

 Sounds like I'm in for a busy but interesting and varied time.

Bought myself a new camera on Saturday (thank you, friends at UCCF) in readiness for the trip. Joe, our designer has a list of photos he wants me to take. I hope I can oblige.
The warm weather here is good for getting acclimatised, though I've been advised to take a waterproof rain coat, so it can't be non-stop sunshine. Shopping for insect repellent later!

Just seen one of the headlines on MSN news. Glad I got my rabies shots after all!

Time to introduce you to another peson I hope to see in Uganda. Zillah Whitehouse is the only serving AIM mission partner whom I knew before I started working here. Zillah is a physiotherapist and as a student was chair of the Therapy Students Christian Fellowship. My daughter-in-law, Naomi, was on the TSCF Council at the same time as Zillah.

After graduation, she continued to show her passion for Christian witness within her chosen profession and helped launch the Christian Therapists Network. That's how I came into contact with her when I was the link peson between UCCF and various 'Professional Groups' like CTN.

Zillah is now practising her physiotherapy at the University Hospital in Mbarara and helping to launch a new training course there for physios, but it's not too straightforward. Here's what she wrote in her latest prayer letter:

"Last week there was an advert in the national papers for the physiotherapy degree course at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. What this means is that we should be starting in August this year. After over 18 years of work on this project by various members of the Uganda Association of Physiotherapy, this is very exciting. There is still a way to go. For example we are yet to have any teaching space, teaching equipment or teachers!!

However I am learning from those in charge of the faculty to put aside my Western desires for control and detailed planning (in such an unpredictable world, the latter is just a waste of time) and accept their guidance in how we achieve running a course with so little."

You may remember from an earlier post that Zillah is the one who gave the helpful instructions on what to do if attacked by a lion or leopard. Such a thoughful young woman!

Today in the office we had a visit from Dr Keith Waddell, who has worked for many years with AIM developing eye surgery, especially dealing with cancer. He is currently in Leicester working with the University Hospital to develop a DVD about his work. He brought with him two African colleagues, Joseph and Marcello. When I was introduced to them, I asked where they came from. "Mbarara", they replied! They get back there the day after I'm due to arrive, so we will probably meet again on their home ground. Small world!

It's just been confirmed that I will be able to visit the Ssese Islands. I will be accompanied by Melanie Musselman, an American nurse who works with AIM in the islands. She will be doing some teaching in various fishing camps during that week, so I'm linking up with her trip. I'll be staying overnight on Buyovu Island.

There are some great satellite images and photos of the islands on Google Earth. The photos show the islands for the benefit of tourists, so you'll see the idyllic beaches and posh resorts. Life in the fishing communities is not quite so cosy. If you visit the AIM website: www.aimint.org/eu there's a video called 'Hope and Healing'. The first part was filmed on the islands among these communities.

Another of the videos, 'Build Something Beautiful', is about the discipleship work that Seb and Connor are involved in at Mbarara. Here are a couple of photos I found of the school where Seb works and where I've been invited to preach. They certainly seem to take graduation seriously - even from secondary school.

This is the university where Zillah works as a physio in the hospital. I'll give you a bit more of an introduction to her next week.

Things are moving quickly. My trip to the Ssese Islands looks like it's back on. :) I've just heard from the Island Ministry Team Leader, Christine Hamilton, that there are other people willing to accompany me, so we just need to sort out who and when. Please keep praying. Thanks.

Yet more complications. Kathleen's health problems have meant she can't now get a flight back to Uganda until 19 June, the day we were due to visit the Ssese Islands. It looks like that part of the trip will have to be re-arranged. It's possible someone else may be able to take me to the islands, but I'm also investigating other options for those few days.

Please do pray for Kathleen's recovery and safe return to Uganda. We're still hoping to meet up in Kampala so I can hear and maybe see something of the work she is involved in there.

Although this change of plan has been brought about by Kathleen's health issues, I'm learning that 'planning' African style often means going with the flow and not necessarily having everything arranged in advance. Colleagues here are very reassuring and confident that everything will be fine, even if I don't know exactly where I'll be going until I get there!

I'll update the itinerary below when I have more definite news, but that may not be until I acutally arrive in Uganda. Watch this space!

A slight hiccup in plans has occurred. Kathleen Burns (see below) has a bad throat infection and can't have the yellow fever jab she was due to have today. This has been re-scheduled, but it means she won't be able to return to Uganda until after the conference. That means she won't be around to organise transport for me from the airport on my arrival and to the conference.

Please pray for Kathleen. She's still getting over her recent surgery, so pray for a speedy and full recovery and that she won't try to overdo things in the meanwhile. She's still hoping to be well enough for our trip to the Ssese Islands.

The rest of the itinerary is coming together. So far it looks like this:

5-6 June     Fly out of Heathrow at 20.00 UK time. Arrive Nairobi 06.30 local time (04.30 UK
                   time). Change planes and depart 07.55. Arrive Entebbe 09.10.
                   Travel to Kampala and onwards to Jinja.

6-10           Central Region Conference, Jinja

10               Possible visit to Good Shepherd Orphanage with Katie Mead. Onward travel to
                   Mbarara with Seb Allwright and Zillah Whitehouse

10-17          Staying with Seb in Mbarara. Programme includes:
                   Tues - day spent with Connor Johnston and young men on the 'Abide'
                   discipleship programme
                   Wed & Thurs - school visits and possible participation in RE lessons
                   Tues & Wed evenings - participation in Bible study groups for professionals
                   Fri (tbc) - day spent at hospital with Zillah
                   Sat - workshop for Chaplains & Patrons of the schools work
                   Sun a.m. - preaching at Eden International School on 'Men & Women in
                   Marriage'
                   Other possibilities are times spent visiting agricultural and community
                   development programmes.
18              Travel by bus back to Kampala. Night at Matoke Inn guest house.

19-20         Trip by boat with Kathleen Burns to Ssese Islands, including overnight stay.

20              Evening - return to Kampala. Night at Matoke Inn.

21              Day in and around Kampala. Fly out of Entebbe at 19.55 arriving Nairobi 21.05.
                  Change planes and depart Nairobi 23.45.

22              Arrive Heathrow at 06.45 UK time. Train home.

Please pray that alternative arrangements can be made to get me from Entebbe to Kampala and onwards to the conference. I'd rather not spend 2½ weeks at the airport!

Last vaccinations today. All done and ready to go. We had some excitement at the clinic today. A sash window on an upper floor blew shut and two of the panes shattered and the glass showered down on the path by the front door. Thankfully no-one was coming or going at the time.


The clinic was running late with appointments, so I didn't have much chance to chat with the doctor. I did give him a copy of Mark's Gospel designed for UCCF's 'FREE' gospel project. He seemed genuinely grateful and promised to read it later in the day. Please pray that God's Word would do its own work as he reads.

My flights are booked, so there's no going back now. It's all becoming more real with each passing day.

I watched a DVD that Seb recommended because it explains what the team in Mbarara are trying to accomplish. It's called 'Build Something Beautiful' and was filmed by AIM's 'On Field Media' team. They do a great job of showing the diverse range of work that AIM is engaged in. You can find it by clicking here: http://www.aimint.org/eu/explore/videos/172-build-something-beautiful .

Feel free to watch some of the other DVDs when you have time.

I'd also like to introduce you to another of the people I'm hoping to visit in Uganda.

This is Kathleen Burns. Kathleen was the first 'real' AIM missionary I met after I started work here. She was passing through the office during her last home assignment, just before returning to Uganda.

Kathleen is a Scot from Edinburgh and quite a character. I think she needs to be, because she's involved in some pretty tough work. She is a nurse, who has been working for several years with HIV/AIDS sufferers in Kampala. More recently she was asked to undertake similar work among the fishing communities, who live on the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria (see picture on 4 April). There's just one small problem: Lake Victoria is the world's second largest freshwater lake and Kathleen gets sea-sick!

At first, she tried to make excuses, but Kathleen recognised this as God's call, so she goes - and now I'll be going with her. But only for two days. Not sure if I'll get sea-sick, but I expect I'll find out.

Please pray for Kathleen. She's actually back home in Edinburgh at the moment, having just had her gall bladder removed. She's making a good recovery and hopes to be fit and well enough by the time we're due to visit the islands on 19-20 June. Here's Kathleen with some of the island children.


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Had a chat with Seb yesterday via Skype to talk over plans for my week in Mbarara. He's got a couple of school visits lined up, with possible participation in CRE lessons and 'Divinity'. The latter is for 'A' level students and is very Christian based. When he discovered I have a theology qualification, he decided to ask the teacher if I could help with the class. That could be interesting; it's over 30 years since I was last teaching in a school classroom.


He also wants me to preach at the school on the Sunday. It's a boarding school, so a bit like chapel in some of our more traditional public schools. The subject is 'Men and Women in Marriage'. Seb is single, so I think he feels I'm better qualified to speak. It should be quite a challenge, but a privilege to be asked.


He's also planning for me to spend a day with Connor Johnston, one of our Synergy (short-term) workers and a group of young men on the 'Abide' discipleship programme. I met Connor at the Synergy Orientation Conference before he went out to Uganda, so it will be good to see him again.

This is Connor on top of Mt Kilimanjaro during a short break from 'Abide'.

More introductions later.