ParkerParker PrayerPrayer LetterLetter July 2017 Serving with MAF in

Six months into our new placement in Uganda and we are gradually getting more settled into the work and life here. The Pilot’s view

Since we last wrote Andrew has completed all the necessary steps to become a fully operational MAF Uganda pilot! Horray! He’s been particularly busy over the last few months because a lot of other families have been on furlough in their home countries.

Regular flights take Andrew across the border into the DRC and into , as well as up into the north eastern Karamoja area of Uganda, with our regular customers involved in missionary work, healthcare, education and development work. There is a particular need for these types of work in the growing refugee camps in the north of Uganda, where hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese have fled from their war torn homeland. ______Family Life

‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not Esther has just completed Primary School! She will be moving up to perceive it? Secondary School at Heritage International School. She enjoyed her I am making a way in the wilderness final terms of Primary School, particularly participating in the and streams in the wasteland.’ Junior Choir and also in a school production of the musical “Beauty Isaiah 43:19 and The Beast”. The show was presented in a most professional way. Sitting in a year ago, doing school in a small room with ______just her brother and her Mum in attendance, we could not have imagined such an opportunity for Esther. It is exciting for us to have so many new experiences for the children in .

Sadly for Esther, the new friends she has made at school here will be moving to different secondary schools. We would value prayers for new and long-lasting friendships for Esther, as she struggles again with a constant cycle of saying farewell to good friends.

However, we have seen God’s faithfulness as Esther has been able to reconnect with a close friend from Juba, who now lives in in the north of Uganda. Recently Esther flew up to Arua on a MAF plane without us to stay a whole week with her friend! She took another MAF flight back down to Kampala and happily, it happened to be a flight Andrew was flying on his return from South Sudan!

Ben is enjoying the social side of school and has thrown himself into life here with his usual energy and enthusiasm. The academic side Esther on her way home from can sometimes be more challenging. We value prayers for good Arua with captain dad teachers for Ben who can encourage and guide him well. Joel has taken a while to adapt to school, but he is gradually finding his feet. We are praying that he too will make good friends and feel more at home in the school environment, which can sometimes be a cultural challenge where most of his classmates are Ugandan and have not had to transition the way Joel has.

At home, Liz has been busy adapting to the new routine of driving the children to school and discovering which activities she can get involved with. Liz is looking for work where she can use her teaching skills part time. As yet, the way forward is unclear. Please would you pray with us that God opens up a new way for Liz to use her experience and professional skills which could serve the community in Kampala and balance with caring for the family?

In the meantime, we are enjoying the long school “summer” holidays! We are very much looking forward to the visit of Liz’s parents at the end of July! After term restarts, we also have the

Celebrating Liz’s baptism excitement of the visit of our great friend, Wendy, from Burscough, who will join us for a week in September!

Prayer points: Church in Kampala Thanks We have been attending “One Life” church here in Kampala since  For the joyful celebration of January. In May, Liz decided to be baptised by immersion! It was a Liz’s baptism special day for us all. To read more about this, you can follow this  Andrew is now fully operational blog link: http://from-under-my-mossie-net-again.blogspot.com as a MAF Uganda pilot Liz has recently signed up to join the Sunday School team. It is a Prayer very different model here from what we are used to, so it will be an  For MAF to be a good support to interesting challenge! those working with refugees in the north of Uganda Thank You  Good teachers for Esther, Ben and Joel; and good friends Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and for all of your support for our work with MAF. It is hugely encouraging for us! On July 9th it was exactly a year since we evacuated from our home in Juba under frightening circumstances. Since that time, we have experienced wonderful warmth, encouragement and prayer from you all, as you have stood with us through all the changes and uncertainties right up until this more settled period in Uganda. Thank you so much!

Sending lots of love to you all from Kampala, Sunrise at , MAF’s airfield in Kampala Liz, Andrew, Esther, Ben and Joel xxxxx

You can find more news and photos are on our blog: Our postal address: www.from-under-my-mossie-net-again.blogspot.com

or flying stories on Andrew’s blog: Parker Family Mission Aviation Fellowship www.andrew-liz-parker.blogspot.com PO Box 1 Kampala For more information on how to support us or to advise of a change of address please contact: Uganda Debbie Martin at MAF UK, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2TN. Tel. 0845 850 9505 e-mail [email protected]; website: www.maf-uk.org; twitter: http://twitter.com/flying4life facebook: www.facebook.com/MAFUK; shop: www.fabandfair.co.uk